Why Myopia Control Matters

Myopia control is not simply about keeping your child's glasses thinner.

When parents bring their child to see me, they are often worried because the prescription seems to increase every year.

“Last year it was -2.00. Now it is -3.00. Where will it end?”

It is an understandable concern.

But as an ophthalmologist, I am thinking about something more important than the number written on the glasses prescription.

I am thinking about the eye your child will have as an adult.

As myopia progresses, the eye typically becomes longer. Higher levels of myopia are associated with a greater lifetime risk of eye problems including retinal detachment, myopic macular disease, glaucoma and cataract.

We cannot promise to stop myopia completely.

But while a child's eyes are still growing, we have evidence-based ways to try to slow its progression.

And to me, that opportunity matters.

My goal is not zero myopia. It is less myopia.

Parents sometimes ask me:

“Can you stop my child's myopia?”

I wish I could promise that.

I can't.

Myopia is influenced by many factors, including genetics, growth and environment, and children respond differently to treatment.

So I prefer to set a more realistic goal:

Slow it down.

If a child who might otherwise become very highly myopic can finish their growing years with less myopia, that is meaningful.

Every child's starting point and response to treatment is different, which is why myopia control needs to be monitored rather than simply prescribed.

Myopia control is a journey, not a product

There isn't one treatment that is right for every child.

Depending on your child's age, prescription, eye measurements, lifestyle and individual needs, options may include:

Ortho-K lenses worn overnight

Specially designed myopia-control contact lenses

Myopia-control spectacle lenses

Low-dose atropine, where appropriate

Sometimes the best approach may involve changing treatment as your child grows.

The important thing is not simply which product we start with.

It is whether the child's myopia is actually being controlled.

That means measuring, monitoring and adjusting when necessary.

I am an ophthalmologist. I am also a mother.

I know what it is like to sit on the other side of the conversation and think about your own child's eyes.

My own son has grown up with myopia prevention and control very much part of our family life.

So when I speak to parents about outdoor time, screens, reading habits, Ortho-K or the practical realities of getting a child to cooperate with treatment, I am not speaking only as an ophthalmologist.

I understand the parent part too.

And sometimes the small, practical things we do at home matter just as much as the treatment we choose.

[Read My Myopia Control Tips for Parents →]

Start with where your child's eyes are today

The first step is to understand your child's myopia properly.

How quickly is it progressing?

How old are they?

What is their family history?

How do they spend their day?

And, where appropriate, what do their eye measurements tell us about progression?

From there, we can decide whether myopia control is appropriate and which approach is likely to suit your child.

We cannot predict exactly where every child's myopia will end.

But we do not have to simply watch the prescription increase year after year without asking whether there is something we can do about it.

The earlier we understand the problem, the more opportunity we may have to influence the journey.