New Technology to Help Monitor and Treat Myopia at Focal Pointe Eye Care
Dr. Mike has myopia. He joins the other approximate 2.5 billion in this world that also suffer from myopia. Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness or shortsightedness. This occurs when the eye becomes elongated and causes the eye’s focal point to form in front of the retina, resulting in blurred distance vision. The condition typically develops between 5 and 18 years of age. Myopia is
irreversible.
The more elongated the eye becomes, the more myopic the person becomes. A normal full-grown eye is about 24.0 mm long. If the myopia is greater than -5.00 D and/or the axial length of the eye is greater than 26.0 mm, it is considered “severe myopia.” With myopia, especially severe myopia, comes greater risk of retinal detachments, macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), myopia is the most commonly occurring vision defect. Projections have shown that by 2050, more than half of the world’s population will be myopic.
Myopia used to be thought of as a refractive problem, using glasses, contacts, or even surgery to “fix” the condition. With the long-term visual implications associated with myopia and the new research on how to treat it, today the focus is on how to prevent myopia in children and to slow down progression if myopia has already developed. The earlier a child becomes myopic, the faster the progression to severe myopia and increased risk of eye disease in the future.
Focal Pointe Eye Care adds Lenstar Myopia technology to West Chester, Ohio
The Lenstar Myopia instrument is an optical biometer (or ruler) that measures the length of an eye, front to back, with accuracy to the hundredth of a millimeter. Once the length and power of the eye are measured, the Lenstar software helps predict the onset of myopia in children and the progression of myopia if the condition has already developed. This allows our doctors to start having conversations about myopia management at much earlier stages, even before the onset of myopia. If myopia management is started early enough in children, myopia may never develop!
Myopia management includes:
- Mitigation of environmental activities that can increase myopia
- Atropine eye drops
- Soft multifocal contact lenses designed for myopia control
- Overnight orthokeratology lenses
- Myopia control spectacle (glasses) lenses (not yet available in the United States)
The above-mentioned methods for myopia management are well-tolerated by children. In some
cases, treatment modalities can be combined for increased control of myopia if needed. At present, no treatment can completely control or prevent the progression of myopia and effectiveness is not the same for all children. However, all options have been studied and continuously show success when properly prescribed. The right method for a child will depend on measurements, risk assessments and lifestyle.
Focal Pointe Eye Care has now incorporated the Lenstar Myopia measurement into our yearly health screening for all children from the ages of 5 to 17 years of age. We believe that managing myopia and doing our best to prevent it could be an invaluable option for many of our patients. We look forward to sharing the results and data with you at your next appointment. Contact us to schedule today!