Myopia Control

Myopia Control Mississauga

Children’s Mississauga Treatment & Management

Your child has been diagnosed with myopia. What are your options for reducing the progression of myopia that naturally occurs as a child ages and grows? Thankfully, there are now plenty of successful and proven treatment options, all of which are available at our clinic. First, as a pediatric optometrist, I just want you to know some of the factors that go into deciding which treatment options are both suitable and best for your child’s unique situation.

1. Age – the younger the myopia starts, the worse it tends to be later in life.

2. Current prescription – the higher it is, the higher it is likely to go. Higher levels of myopia increase the risk of future vision loss.

3. The rate of change – if we have a history of change, we should act on it accordingly.

4. Family history (or genetics) of myopia – if both parents are myopic and/or older siblings have myopia, the risks of progression are much higher.

5. Hobbies and activity level – lots of reading and/or lack of outdoor activity are associated with a greater risk of myopia progression.

The ease of instituting treatment, both from a cost and adaptation perspective, will be considered for treatment success. Once a plan has been devised, our staff can provide the necessary training/counseling and supply/fitting of the necessary vision aids. Progress visits should be scheduled at intervals of 3 to 6 months to monitor and modify treatment as necessary.

Things not to do:

go longer than recommended between eye assessments
under-correct myopia
fail to take any action at all

Here are some important stats to consider with a reduction of myopia progression by just 1 diopter:

can reduce the incidence of macular degeneration by 40%
retinal detachment-risk is reduced by 23%
glaucoma-risk is reduced by 16%
and the risk of future visual impairment/loss declines by as much as 24%

Get started now by booking your child’s consultation here!

Our Commitment to Safeguarding Your Child’s Vision -Nearsightedness Treatment Mississauga

Mississauga Myopia Control Therapy is an investment in your child’s future eye health and well-being. With increased screen time at the expense of outdoor activities, myopia is growing at epidemic proportions. By 2050, half the world’s population, or 5 billion people, will be myopic. Many treatment options exist that have been found to diminish the eye’s axial lengthening and the corresponding myopia progression. After conducting a thorough eye health and vision assessment, Dr. Sciberras will determine the modalities best suited for successful compliance and myopia control. At times, more than one viable option exists, and the decision will be made after deliberate consultation between the doctor and parents.

We are committed to providing you with the best value in eye care and vision correction. We strive to provide all patients with clear, comfortable vision with the best lens technology and the most convenient modality for your child. We must make the science and research available to you to ensure the long-term health of your child’s eyes.

So, what is Myopia?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the inability to see distant objects clearly. Nearsighted individuals see better near. Myopia is often the result of an elongated eye, measured as axial length, that results in light focusing in front of rather than on the retina. The retina is the photographic film at the back of the eye. So why is myopia a problem, besides having to wear vision correction? Higher levels of myopia are associated with a higher risk of eye disease. Longer eyes are more susceptible to the following diseases:

The optics of myopia are seen below. Distant objects such as street signs appear blurred.

What are the risk factors for developing myopia?

Parental myopia, myopic siblings, Asian ancestry, myopia that appears before the age of 7, rigorous academic pursuits (high near visual demands), and limited outdoor activity can all be used to predict myopia and its progression to high myopia. Patients with high degrees of myopia experience a poorer quality of life than those with low to moderate myopia. Refractive surgery can also be affected, with outcomes generally better in patients with lower prescriptions. Myopia control therapy can help change the future of your child’s myopia progression and significantly reduce their risk of future visual impairment.

Take this 1-minute survey to assess your child’s risk for myopia development and progression.

Why Is It Important to Measure Axial Length?

The axial length of the eye refers to how long the eye is, from the front of the cornea to the back of the retina. In children with rapidly progressing myopia, the axial length will increase faster than normal. This information helps determine the progression rate and risks based on age-related expected values. It therefore helps guide the treatment approach.

Corneal Tomography

Corneal tomography or mapping produces a detailed, visual and quantitative description of the shape and power of the cornea. This type of analysis provides your doctor with very fine details regarding the condition of the corneal surface, refractive power, and these details are used to diagnose, monitor, and treat various eye conditions, including keratoconus and myopia. Corneal mapping is also very helpful in the fitting of contact lenses, such as sclerals, ortho-k lenses and RGPs.

Myopia Treatment Options

Soft Multifocal Contact Lenses

Available in monthly or daily disposable formats, both are well-tolerated. The MiSight lens in particular is revolutionary in that it is the first successful daily disposable contact lens designed to reduce myopia progression in children.

Multifocal lenses with a center-distance design are another option in the effort to control myopia progression. They are a cost-effective approach while providing spectacle-free vision throughout the day.

Miyosmart Spectacles

LIMITED TIME OFFER: UPGRADE TO TRANSITIONS MIYOSMART AT NO EXTRA CHARGE.

The MiyoSmart spectacle lens is made up of a central clear optical zone for correcting myopia, with an outer band of defocus that acts to control myopia progression. The lens makes use of the natural eye adjustment known as “emmetropization”, where the eyeball shapes to receive focused images as it does for normal vision.

The D.I.M.S. lens design, called MiyoSmart, is distributed in Canada through select eye care professionals, and was found to have the following significant outcomes:

slows myopia progression on average by 59%
slows axial eye growth on average by 60%
completely halted myopic progression in over 20% of study participants

Below is an image of the D.I.M.S. lens for Myopia Control. Each of the small segments seen in the periphery of the lens adds +3.50 diopters of power to create a myopic defocus, that is, the image lands in front of the peripheral retina, which helps to slow the elongation of the eye. This can be observed when looking at the lens from an angle and appears as a honeycomb pattern on the lens. These lenses have equal adaptation and acceptance to standard single-vision lenses, with the benefit of slowing myopia progression in children.

Stellest Spectacles

The Stellest spectacle lens type is made up of a central clear optical zone for correcting myopia, with an outer band of defocus that acts to control myopia progression. The lens makes use of the natural eye adjustment known as “emmetropisation”, where the eyeball shapes to receive focused images as it does for normal vision. The Stellest lens design is distributed in Canada through select eye care professionals by Essilor.

– After the first year, the eye growth of 9 out of 10 children wearing Stellest was similar to or slower than non-myopic children.

– Thanks to the H.A.L.T* technology, Essilor’s Stellest lenses slow down myopia progression by an average of 67% compared to conventional single vision lenses when worn for 12 hours a day.*

MiSight Spectacles

The MiSight spectacle lens type is made up of a central clear optical zone for correcting myopia, with an outer band of defocus that acts to control myopia progression. The lens makes use of the natural eye adjustment known as “emmetropisation”, where the eyeball shapes to receive focused images as it does for normal vision. The MiSight lens design was found to slow down myopia progression by 59% on average, compared to single vision lenses, when worn 12 hours a day.*

MiSight spectacle lenses are powered by Diffusion Optics Technology and are clinically shown to slow the progression of myopia in children as young as 6 years old. These lenses use a unique technology that helps scatter light to reduce retinal contrast. High contrast light is believed to stimulate excessive eye growth and worsen myopia (nearsightedness). The Cypress Study followed children over 2 years wearing MiSight Spectacle Lenses. The lenses were shown to slow the progression of myopia by 59%. These lenses are intended to be worn full-time (12 hours a day).

MyCon Spectacle Lenses

With MyCon™ lenses, light is diffused so that it strikes the periphery in front of the retina rather than behind it. This slows eye-length growth. The areas that control myopia progression in a MyCon™ lens are located laterally. This ensures that the visual acuity above and below is affected as little as possible.

Available in the widest range of lens indices for minimum thickness, superior aesthetics and ultimate comfort. These lenses are offered in photochromic material as well. These lenses have no visible treatment zones, so older children definitely will not object to them. We offer these lenses in frame packages to offer the best value of any of our myopia control spectacle options and provide a 30% discount on a second pair of MyCon lenses.

Photobiomodulation – Red Light Therapy

Photobiomodulation using repeated low-level red-light therepay has been found to be a safe and effective method of controlling myopia progression and axial elongation.treatment to help regulate the progression of myopia in children. Current treatment protocals require using the exposure device for 3 minutes with eyes closed, twice daily. Sessions should be at least 4 hours apart. We utilize the Arunalight device for this treatment, which delivers controlled and self-timed exposure to LED light at 670nm. Click here to learn more about our newest tool to fight myoia progression.

Atropine Night-time Eye Drops

Low dose atropine is a compounded eye drop applied topically on a nightly basis. Atropine therapy has shown excellent (60% and above) success at slowing myopia and axial elongation. Side effects such as light sensitivity and difficulty focusing near must be monitored. These are the same medications we use to perform dilated eye exams but at a fraction of the concentration. This is an off-label treatment, but has been proven safe and well-tolerated (concentration may vary from case to case).

Orthokeratology

In orthokeratology, or ortho-k, hard contact lenses specifically fitted to your child’s cornea are worn at night to reversibly shape the cornea to reduce both eye lengthening and myopic progression, while mostly eliminating the need for vision correction in the day. This is especially useful for active children, or those that are not compliant or keen to wear glasses. Learn more by watching the video below.

Paragon CRT lenses are a non-surgical solution to nearsightedness or myopia. Ortho-k lenses are worn overnight and work to gently correct the curvature of the cornea while you sleep. In the morning, simply remove the lenses and enjoy spectacle freedom with your enhanced vision.

These are best in certain cases of myopia that are accompanied by convergence excess/esophoria (bifocal lenses) or focusing/accommodation lag (bifocals with prism).

Early intervention through regular eye exams along withmyopia control therapy is the best way to maintain healthy eyes and safeguard their vision.

To learn more about this topic, and to calculate your child’s future myopia based on their specific risk factors, visit www.MyKidsVision.org

Another useful site is called www.myopia.care

Sign up for the Myopia App – this ingenious digital device app measures how closely the device is being held and darkens the screen if it’s held too close, revealing the screen again when it’s held back at the ideal distance or further. Developed by a partnership of scientists and optometrists, early research on this app has shown it effectively modifies screen time behavior, making a dramatically positive difference in the demand placed on the eyes.

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism can accompany nearsightedness. It is the result of an eye that is shaped like a football. It causes light to be focused at two distances within the eye, instead of one. The light or image must be focused on the retina in order to enjoy clear vision. Astigmatism can cause blurred vision at both near and far distances. This can result in headaches, eyestrain, and squinting. Astigmatism can be corrected with either glasses, contact lenses or laser eye surgery.

Book your child’s myopia management consult here!

Recommended Screen Time

Children under 2 years of age should have no screen time. Watching a screen at a young age can limit time for active play and learning, reduce opportunities for language development and inhibit their attention skills.
Children aged 2-5 years should have a maximum of 1 hour per day. Infants, toddlers and preschoolers should not be inactive or sedentary for more than one hour at a time, except for sleeping. In this age group, excessive screen time is associated with less outdoor, creative and active play time; poorer language skill development; poor social skills and an increased risk of obesity.
Children of school age (5-17 years) should be limited to 2 hours of recreational screen time per day. When using screen-based electronics, positive social interaction and experiences are encouraged. Sleep is also so important in this age group. Children aged 5-13 years should have an uninterrupted 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night, and 8 to 10 hours per night for those aged 14–17 years. Consistent bed and wake-up times are very helpful, as are restricting screen time 2 hours before bed and removing screens from the bedroom where possible.
Avoid performing near tasks closer than 30cm.
Apply the 20-20 Rule: take a break from reading or screen time every 20 minutes for 20 seconds, looking at something far away (e.g. 20 feet). He or she should look across at something distant to relax the focusing muscles in the eyes before commencing near viewing. This can be managed as a break between book chapters, Netflix episodes for preteens and teens, or timers set for younger children. Recent evidence suggests the 20-20 rule is not a hard-and-fast rule, but should highlight the need for reducing screen time and taking frequent near-task breaks.

If your child has not developed myopia, ensure they get two hours of daily outdoor activity.