Myopia Management in Philadelphia

Early myopia intervention can help your child’s vision now and reduce their lifetime risk of serious eye diseases. At Modern Optometry in Philadelphia, we specialize in treatments proven to help slow or stop your child’s vision from getting worse. We also include options that may allow your child to be free of their glasses and contact lenses all day. Dr. Verna has recently been selected as a Change Agent for The Myopia Collective. This is a partnership between the AOA (American Optometric Association) and CooperVision. This honor includes receiving specialized training in myopia management and leading legislative/advocacy initiatives in our community. Dr. Verna is also a proud member of the American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (AAOMC).

Researchers believe that the environment kids grow up in today involves too many close distance activities (like reading and device use). There is also a lack of outdoor play. This is contributing to the rapid increase in childhood myopia. Glasses and contact lenses compensate for a child’s blurry distance vision, but they don’t stop your child’s vision from continuing to deteriorate. As children grow, myopia often develops as they reach school age.  If left untreated, it will progress into their late teens.

The Danger of Myopia

Studies now show there is more to worry about with myopic eyes than the inconvenience of ever-thickening glasses. Scientific evidence has proven that myopic patients are more vulnerable to a range of sight-threatening diseases and complications.

Patients with mild myopia have a four-fold increase in the risk of retinal detachment. For those with moderate to severe myopia, the risk increases ten times. One study concluded that more than 50 percent of retinal detachments not related to trauma are associated with myopia. Other myopia risks include glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration.

Treat Your Child’s Myopia Now

The dangers of myopia, in conjunction with the normal challenges of poor vision, mean it is important for parents of myopic children to treat the condition as part of your child’s eye health. The goal of myopia management is to slow or even stop the progression of myopia and reduce its impact on your child’s life. The younger myopia management begins, the more effective the treatment.

We are excited at Modern Optometry to present our children’s myopia management program. It’s designed to treat your child’s myopia and significantly reduce the threat of more serious eye diseases. Myopia management is one of the most important innovations since glasses were first prescribed hundreds of years ago!

Schedule an appointment today and Dr. Verna will evaluate your child’s vision. She’ll also make a customized treatment plan to slow or even stop myopia from progressing.

How Does It Work?

Modern Optometry uses state-of-the-art equipment to develop a personalized treatment plan for your child. Our non-invasive treatments include customized contact lenses and special prescription eye drops. Some of our treatments will even allow your child to see clearly without glasses or contact lenses all day. Data from children using our treatment plan shows a 78% decrease in the progression of their myopia vs. no treatment. At your initial consultation, our doctor will determine the treatment that will work best for your child.

Treatments

Modern Optometry offers a variety of treatment options for myopia management in children, including:

ORTHO-K

Ortho-K (or Ortho-Keratology) utilizes a special rigid gas-permeable contact lens (through Paragon CRT) that is placed into the eyes just before you go to bed. This hard lens helps to gently hold your eye in the proper shape throughout the night. This means that people can see clearly throughout the day, even without wearing contact lenses or glasses.

SPECIALTY CONTACT LENSES

• Cooper MiSight® | Cooper MiSight is the first and only FDA-approved soft contact lens to slow myopia progression in children aged 8-12. The lens works by minimizing the elongation of the eye to protect distance vision.

• Abiliti™ lens | Acuvue® Abiliti lenses are disposable soft contacts that slow the progression of myopia in children and improve their overall visual acuity.

ATROPINE EYE DROPS

Atropine eye drops are specifically designed to help stop the eye from straining and help the muscles relax. This is similar to the eye drops that are used when you get your eyes dilated but lasts throughout the entire day rather than just a few hours. These drops also dilate the pupils and prevents them from closing too tightly and limiting vision. This treatment has been shown to be especially effective in slowing the progression of myopia in children.

Dr. Verna can also prescribe bifocal or progressive lenses to correct refractive errors, so your child can see clearly at all distances.

Call Modern Optometry to schedule a pediatric eye care consultation for your child, or book an appointment online today.

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