Myopia Treatment In Carlsbad, CA Serving Encinitas, Oceanside, CA
More people are becoming more nearsighted (myopic) every day. Up to 50% of the population is expected to be nearsighted by the year 2050. In order to see properly, these individuals will need to have their vision corrected by some means such as eyeglasses, contact lenses, laser vision correction, or vision therapy. Also, as a person becomes more nearsighted over time, they increase their risk for more serious eye problems like cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal detachment.
The undesirable consequences of myopia make prevention a critical health concern. Nobody wants to wear thick glasses, manage cumbersome contact lenses, pay for expensive laser correction, deal with time consuming eye exercises, or eventually suffer from complicated eye disease. From a health and wellness perspective, it is much better to avoid these detriments altogether.
Luckily there is treatment for the prevention of progressive myopia. Doctors know that nearsightedness happens for two main reasons, genetics and extended close up activities. Close up activities includes reading books, paperwork, computer screens, tablets, cell phones, and video games. While there is not much that can be done about genetics, one of the best ways to prevent nearsightedness is to reduce the amount of time spent on near activities. Studies have shown that students that play outside more and have less screen time, have less myopia. Other studies have shown, that adults with occupations outdoors tend to be farsighted more than nearsighted.
Since computer devices and cellphones are not going away any time soon, everyone should consider taking frequent breaks from their devices. Breaks not only aid in the prevention of myopia, but it also reduces eyestrain, headaches, delayed focusing, and intermittent blurred vision. Taking a break means looking away from the near task, closing your eyes, looking out a window, or getting up and walking around. One rule of thumb is every 20 minutes look out past 20 feet for 20 seconds. Another rule is to divide the time spent on the near task by 10. This means taking a 2-minute break for 20 minutes of close work and 3 minutes for every 30 minutes of close work.
Prescription Treatments for Myopia Prevention are listed below. Dr. Bloch will discuss which is method is best for you or your child based upon examination findings. A combination of methods could be beneficial depending on your specific case.
- Computer or Reading Glasses
- Bifocal or Multifocal Glasses
- Bifocal or Multifocal Contact Lenses
- Special Myopia Control Contact Lenses with Defocus Technology
- Corneal Reshaping Contact Lenses called Ortho-Keratology (worn like a retainer while sleeping)
- Low Dose Atropine eye drops (used daily to relax eye muscles that control focusing)
