Children with myopia face more than blurry distance vision. Research shows that myopia, particularly when it progresses to high levels, significantly increases the risk of serious eye diseases later in life, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, and early-onset cataracts. The good news is that myopia management treatments can slow this progression and reduce these long-term risks.
At Vision Source Mandan, Dr. Brittany Schauer, Dr. Wayne Aberle, and Dr. Danielle Dyke help families across Mandan, Bismarck, and surrounding North Dakota communities protect their children’s vision for the future. With over 70 years of serving the region, our practice uses specialized diagnostic equipment and proven myopia management strategies to keep your child’s prescription from worsening year after year.
Understanding the Link Between Myopia and Eye Disease
Myopia occurs when the eye grows too long from front to back, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. The concern isn’t just the need for stronger glasses each year. As the eye elongates, the internal structures stretch and thin, creating vulnerabilities that increase with each diopter of myopia. Children with high myopia face substantially elevated risks according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, including significantly greater risk for retinal detachment, glaucoma, and myopic maculopathy.
The stretching of the retina makes it more prone to tears and detachment, while changes in eye structure can affect fluid drainage, potentially leading to glaucoma. These aren’t distant theoretical risks but real conditions we diagnose and manage regularly at our practice.
How Myopia Management Protects Long-Term Eye Health
Myopia management treatments don’t cure nearsightedness, but they can slow how quickly it progresses. By reducing the final level of myopia your child reaches, these treatments lower the risk of developing associated eye diseases in adulthood. Even reducing progression by one or two diopters can meaningfully decrease lifetime disease risk.
Specialized Contact Lenses
The different types of specialized contact lenses include:
- CooperVision MiSight 1 day lenses: FDA-approved specifically for slowing myopia progression in children, featuring a dual-focus design that corrects vision while simultaneously reducing the stimulus for eye elongation.
- Orthokeratology lenses: specially designed rigid contact lenses worn overnight to temporarily reshape the cornea, providing clear daytime vision without glasses while slowing myopia progression.
To learn more about your specialized content lens options, contact your doctor today.
Essilor Stellest Lenses
Essilor Stellest spectacle lenses are FDA-approved eyeglass lenses specifically designed to slow myopia progression in children, using H.A.L.T. (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) technology that creates a volume of signal in front of the retina while providing clear central vision. Clinical studies have shown these lenses can slow myopia progression by an average of 67% compared to standard single-vision lenses when worn at least 12 hours per day.
Medical Treatments and Lifestyle Factors
The medical treatments and lifestyle factors include:
- Atropine eye drops: low-dose atropine therapy has shown effectiveness in slowing myopia progression with minimal side effects, working by reducing the signals that trigger excessive eye growth.
- Outdoor time and near work management: increasing time spent outdoors and reducing prolonged near work can support other myopia management treatments, as natural light exposure appears to play a protective role in eye development.
Each child responds differently to myopia management, which is why comprehensive eye exams and ongoing monitoring are essential. Our doctors evaluate your child’s unique situation to recommend the most appropriate approach.
When to Start Myopia Management
Early intervention matters. Children’s eye exams should begin well before school age, as myopia often develops during childhood and tends to progress fastest during the growing years. Even if your child passed a school vision screening, they still need a comprehensive eye exam to assess not just vision clarity but eye health and development.
Many parents don’t realize their child’s vision is worsening because children adapt remarkably well to gradual changes. By the time symptoms become obvious, significant progression may have already occurred. Annual eye exams allow us to detect myopia early and implement management strategies before substantial elongation happens.
Schedule a Myopia Evaluation at Vision Source Mandan
Our practice has served Mandan, Bismarck, and surrounding communities since 1950, and we’re committed to staying current with advances in pediatric eye care. Dr. Schauer, Dr. Aberle, and Dr. Dyke work closely with families to monitor myopia progression, adjust treatment plans as needed, and provide the education parents need to make informed decisions about their children’s eye health. We understand that rural North Dakota families often travel considerable distances for specialized care, which is why we offer comprehensive pediatric services under one roof.
From initial diagnosis through ongoing management and emergency eye care, our team provides continuity of care that’s especially valuable when managing a progressive condition like myopia. If your child’s prescription has been getting stronger each year, or if you want to learn whether myopia management could benefit your family, contact us today to schedule a comprehensive evaluation.