Myopia Management in Seattle, WA

Myopia Management

Myopia has been on the rise for vision diagnoses across the world in recent years. It has become the most prevalent issue that affects a person’s ability to see. Additionally, it is considered the second leading cause of blindness in the world. At I Care Vision Center, we are dedicated to doing everything that we can to ensure that you have great vision throughout your life, and we have several options to help manage myopia.

Understanding Myopia

Myopia is a condition that causes you not to be able to clearly see objects that are further away. This condition is also called nearsightedness. This is the most common eye issue found in children and young adults.

Myopia is caused because the eye grows too long from front to back. This causes light to focus just in front of the retina, rather than on it. When unfocused light hits the retina, your brain can only process a blurry image.

Typically, myopia begins in childhood and progresses as the child gets older. Myopia can develop slowly or rapidly, depending on the person. Some believe that rapid progression is caused by genetic factors or environmental factors that cause additional strain on the eyes.

Fortunately, I Care Vision Center offers a variety of treatment options to help slow or stop the progression of myopia to help ensure great sight throughout your life.

Ortho K

Ortho K or Orthokeratology is one option that we offer our patients. This technology was developed accidentally because of the use of gas permeable lenses. Doctors found that patients wearing this type of contact lens maintained a normal prescription longer and that they could often see normally for a short period of time even when they weren’t wearing the lenses.

Orthokeratology now uses specialized lenses that help to gently push the eye into the proper shape. These lenses are put into the eye right before bed. When you awake in the morning, you simply remove the lenses and go about your day. The effects of the lens will hold your eye in the proper shape throughout the day even though you aren’t wearing any prescription lenses or glasses! In addition, orthokeratology helps to maintain the shape of the eye and reduce the progression of myopia.

Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses

Multifocal soft contact lenses have been used for patients who have had an inability to clearly see objects at any distance. However, when used for myopia in children, these contacts have been shown to reduce the progression of myopia by 50 percent.

This type of lens is also great for patients who cannot tolerate or get used to the feeling of hard contact lenses that are used for orthokeratology.

Lifestyle Changes

In addition to many of the therapies that we use and prescribe in our office, there are some things that you can do at home to increase the effectiveness of these treatments. Reducing eye strain is one of the best ways to help slow the progression of myopia. In order to reduce eye strain, we suggest a few different changes to your everyday life.

• Reduce screen time

• Get outside

• Use sunglasses

• Have proper lighting when reading

Atropine Therapies

Atropine eye drops are another effective tool to help fight the progression of myopia. These drops work similarly to the drops that are placed in your eye to dilate them at a vision checkup. However, the effects of atropine last much longer. Atropine helps to reduce the stress placed on your eyes in normal environments and has also been used to treat against inflammation of the eye. Some studies have found that atropine therapy can reduce the progression of myopia by 77 percent!
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Call For a Consultation
At I Care Vision Center, we have the experience and knowledge that you need to help protect your vision for years to come. Call today to schedule an appointment and see how we can make a difference in your life.