What is myopia control?

MYOPIA CONTROL CLINIC

What is Myopia?

Myopia is a common eye condition where essentially someone is nearsighted (difficulty seeing

far away). This occurs when the eye refracts light to a point before reaching the retina resulting

in blurred vision. Glasses and/or contact lenses are often prescribed to correct for this. Myopia

often progresses in children and adolescents due to genetic and environmental factors. As they

grow and progress through their school years, their near/reading visual demands increase

substantially (reading more often, increased screen time, smaller fonts/text, more homework),

which usually results in myopic progression. Often times we are not overly concerned as this is

what naturally occurs during children development. We worry when this myopic progression

reaches levels beyond the norm; if we see large increases in myopia in shorter time spans. With

increased myopia, patients are at increased risk for developing retinal tears, retinal

detachments, retinal thinning, flashes, floaters, refractive amblyopia, and decreased vision not

fully correctable by conventional means.

What is Myopia Control?

With Myopia Control, we are attempting to slow myopic progression. There is no “cure” for​

​​myopia, but we can attempt to slow the progression to manageable means before being at

increased risk for adverse effects. Studies have shown that there are ways to slow the

progression of myopia. Here at eye. Optometry, we offer a Myopia Control Clinic involving a

structured plan of appointments, progress checks, as well as special lenses which have been

shown to slow the rate of progression of myopia.

If you have any further questions in regards to this service, please feel free to contact us at 604-372-3930.