Control Your Myopia with Help from Our Optometrists Near You in Valencia, CA

At Family Vision Care Optometry, we have provided specialty services for myopia (nearsightedness) for 20 years and we advocate for detecting myopia at the earliest stage. Our goal is to intervene early to slow down the progression. The number individuals that are nearsighted worldwide is growing and it is estimated that there will be 55.7 million by 2050.

Myopia is a progressive eye disorder which affects vision, quality of life, and increases eye health risks in the long term. Myopia worsens because the eye is growing too fast. As the eye grows and the length of the eye increases, there is an elongation and stretching of the retina. This stretching of retina increases the risk of eye diseases and vision impairment. Studies show nearly 40 times higher risk of retinal detachment and a 67% increase in macular degeneration for every one diopter increase in myopia. 

Once a child develops myopia, there is an increase in prescription year after year through the college age years, with the most rapid progression between the ages 6 and 12. 

 

Eye Exams Can Detect Myopia

The first step in treating and controlling myopia is to get a diagnosis. That is what an eye exam is for, and it is the right choice to get started on your eye health journey. When you have an eye exam your optometrist will look for any evidence that you are not seeing the world as clearly as you should be. If you can see things close up but not far away, you will likely be given a diagnosis of myopia. Then, the next step is to talk about the best way to treat it.

The Right Myopia Treatment Matters

Myopia treatment typically requires either eyeglasses or contact lenses. Conventional glasses or contact lenses do not protect the eyes from worsening. However, there are several treatments that can slow down this progression.

- ORTHOKERATOLOGY (Ortho K): This is an exciting modality that non-surgically reshapes the cornea through use of contact lenses as you sleep. 
- LOW DOSE ATROPINE: Atropine is an eye drop that works by affecting the muscle inside the eye that controls focusing, helping to relax the eye's focusing mechanism. This relaxation can help slow the elongation of the eyeball.
- STELLEST LENS: The Stellest lens is the first and only FDA market authorized spectacle lens available to slow myopic progression in children. In a two-year clinical study, children wearing the Stellest lenses experienced an average 71% reduction in myopia progression compared to those wearing standard single vision lenses.
- MULTIFOCAL/DUAL FOCUS CONTACT LENSES: Soft contact lenses designed to be worn during the day. They slow myopia progression by redirecting how the light hits the retina. This "myopic defocus" signals the eye to slow its growth and thus reduces the elongation.

Reach Out to Our Eye Doctor Near You in Valencia, CA

If you are in the Valencia, CA, area, contact us today at Family Vision Care Optometry Inc. to work with a trusted eye doctor who can get you started on the path to better vision. Having your child evaluated at an early age is paramount to getting started on the right path. Our doctors love to work with children and we even examine infants. Your child needs to be examined on an annual basis. Also, note that our infant exams are free during the first year of life.