Myopia Management (Nearsightedness Treatment)

What Is Nearsightedness?

Nearsightedness, technically called myopia, occurs when you can see things up close, but your visions is blurry from a distance. It’s like having a camera that works fine for close objects but struggles with those in the distance. This occurs when light enters the eye and focuses in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant things appear fuzzy.

Nearsightedness usually starts in childhood and worsens during adolescence as the eye expands. There are several types of myopia and categorization is based on severity, age and other associated conditions.

The main types include:

• Simple myopia. This is the most common type in which distant things blur but close ones remain clear, caused by environmental factors and genetics.
• High myopia. It’s a severe form with significant refractive error, raising the risk of retinal detachment and other serious side effects.
• Early-onset myopia. This starts before the age of eight and usually progresses quickly.
• Adult-onset myopia. This happens in adulthood owing to lifestyle or work habits.
• Degenerative myopia. This progresses over time, resulting in structural eye alterations and greater issues.
• Night myopia. In this case, near eyesight deteriorates in low light, limiting nighttime activities such as driving.

Effective myopia management depends on finding the best myopia doctor. Only an experienced myopia specialist can differentiate which type you have and then design the treatment according to it. Rely on the best optometrists in New York City at Eye Physicians for myopia management near me in Downtown Manhattan.

In addition to providing myopia control in NYC, they also diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, including:

• Droopy eyelids
• Inverted eyelashes
• Dry eyes
• Tear gland inflammation
• Elevated eye pressure
• Corneal arcus
• Pink eye

If you or your child has been diagnosed with myopia, it is essential to begin treatment as early as possible. Our specialists offer advanced techniques and individualized approaches to slow the progression of myopia. If you are looking for “myopia management near me” or “myopia specialist near me,” contact us for quality treatment and care for your vision.

What Are the Common Signs of Having Myopia?

Myopia happens when the eyeball is too lengthy, or the cornea, which is the front part of the eye, is overly bent. Nearsightedness is one of the most common visual impairments worldwide, and the number of people with it has risen in recent years. Eye specialists predict this trend to continue in the next decades. More than 40 percent of people in the United States are nearsighted. And this number is growing, particularly among school-age children.

The severity and appearance of symptoms varies from person to person; however, myopia typically appears with signs and symptoms that include:

• Blurred distant vision
• Difficulty focusing on distant objects
• Eye strain and discomfort
• Squinting
• Headaches, especially after extended visual work
• Fatigue from distance-focused activities
• Rubbing or excessive blinking
• Light sensitivity, especially at night
• Difficulty seeing in low light

Children may or may not display all these symptoms, which is why you want to bring your children to a pediatric eye specialist at Eye Physicians familiar with how kids react to vision issues.

A few additional myopia signs to look out for in your kids include:

• Sitting too near to screens or books when reading
• Regularly rubbing their eyes
• Avoiding tasks that need far-vision
• Academic challenges associated with clear vision at a distance
• Shortened attention span

Without proper myopia management near me in NYC, nearsightedness can deteriorate eyesight and cause fatigue, headaches and eye strain. The likelihood of serious side effects such as glaucoma and retinal detachment, which can impair everyday functioning and possibly result in blindness, rises with progression. Managing myopia and avoiding long-term consequences require routine eye exams.

What Causes Myopia?

It helps your myopia doctor to know the causes of your nearsightedness to better understand and manage this condition.

Several factors can contribute to the development of myopia, including:

• Genetics. Myopia is more common in children whose parents are myopic, either one or both.
• Environmental factors. Extensive near-work activities like reading, using digital devices or studying for extended periods leads to adult-onset myopia.
• Reduced outdoor time. Insufficient exposure to natural sunlight, particularly during childhood, can cause vision problems.
• Age. Myopia often develops during childhood and adolescence when the eyeball is still growing, but it can also manifest in adulthood.
• Visual stress. Extended durations of near-object focus without sufficient breaks, poor posture or untreated vision issues can cause eyestrain and increase the risk of the onset of myopia.

Diagnosing myopia involves thorough eye examinations. Visual acuity tests, which require the test taker to read letters from a chart, and refraction tests, which measure the eye’s capacity for focus, are commonly included in these examinations. To determine the extent of myopia and provide appropriate corrective lenses, your NYC physician might use a retinoscope or autorefractor.

What Treatment Options Are Available for Myopia?

Myopia is usually treated with corrective lenses, either glasses or contact lenses, which improve vision and focus light directly onto the retina, increasing distance vision. The elongation of the eyeball, which results in light focusing in front of the retina rather than directly on it, is compensated for by these lenses.

Other treatment options include:

• Surgical refractive measures. By reshaping the cornea to correct refractive problems, procedures like LASIK or PRK can lessen or eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses.
• Orthokeratology (Ortho-K). This entails temporarily reshaping the cornea by wearing stiff contact lenses made specifically for this purpose overnight. It can offer good daytime vision without the need for contacts or glasses.
• EVO implantable collamer lens (ICL). A tiny incision is made to implant a small, soft polymer contact lens into the eye as part of the process. This lens is positioned between the iris and the natural lens. It improves vision by refracting light onto the retina.
• Modifications to lifestyle. Promoting outdoor activities and reducing excessive near-work activities may help reduce the growth of myopia, especially in youngsters.
• Low-dose atropine eye drops. These eye drops help children’s myopia progress more slowly. Nonetheless, it’s important to utilize these drops under the guidance of a qualified eye care specialist.

If you live in New York City, contact the devoted doctors at Eye Physicians for the best myopia management near me in addition to effective and comprehensive eye care for your whole family.

Page Updated on Jul 3, 2024 by Dr. William Hogue, OD (Optometrist) of Eye Physicians

Eye Physicians
110 Lafayette St, Suite 503
New York, NY 10013
(212) 292-4814

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