Everything You Need to Know About Myopia Control

Some estimates suggest that 40% of people have myopia, or nearsightedness. That number may be on the rise, but fortunately, advanced eye care can help you control your myopia and see clearly.

At Adult Strabismus Institute in Plano, Texas, fellowship-trained pediatric ophthalmologist and strabismologist Lori Dao, MD, specializes in treating myopia and other refractive errors. Without management, refractive errors can cause headaches, eye strain, and even double vision. 

Dr. Dao helps children and adults control their myopia so they can see more clearly from a distance. In this article, we discuss your options for myopia control so you can choose the one that suits your preferences. 

About glasses and contact lenses

Adults and children alike can easily manage their myopia with glasses or contact lenses to see clearly at greater distances. A standard eye exam can tell you if you have myopia and determine your prescription. If you have myopia, your glasses or contact lens prescription will be negative. 

How glasses treat myopia

Glasses lenses for myopia are shaped to bend light so it focuses directly on your retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye). If you or your child gets glasses, you get to choose the design you want for the frames. 

How contact lenses treat myopia

If you don’t like the way glasses look, contact lenses help with myopia control in a similar way. The main difference is that you must place the lenses directly on your eye surfaces. However, you must keep them clean and update them more frequently. 

When to consider surgery for myopia

Some eye surgeries can treat myopia so that you don’t need to wear glasses or contact lenses (or at least not as often). Refractive surgeries adjust the anatomy of your eyes to sharpen your vision. 

Options for refractive surgery include LASIK, the most common procedure for nearsightedness. During this surgery, an eye surgeon cuts a flap in the tissue of your cornea, reshapes it, and then reattaches it.

Other surgeries replace the natural lens of your eye with an artificial lens. The new lens works similarly to contact lenses. It bends light toward your retina so you see a sharper image. 

Keeping your eyes healthy

You can take steps in everyday life to support your eye health. Certain close-up activities, such as reading or looking at screens, may increase your or your child’s risk of myopia, so you might consider limiting these activities. 

You can also support your overall eye health by:

• Taking breaks from up-close activities to rest your eyes
• Avoiding reading in dim light
• Wearing sunglasses while outside
• Avoiding smoking
• Eating a nutrient-rich diet

Talk to Dr. Dao about other strategies for supporting your and your family’s eye health. 

Keeping your vision clear

Getting yearly eye exams ensures you or your child always has the right prescription for glasses or contact lenses. If any other eye concerns come up, Dr. Dao can diagnose and treat them promptly. 

Schedule your next eye exam online or over the phone at Adult Strabismus Institute today.