Myopia Control | St. Marys Optometry

Create a Clearer Future for Your Kids

Optimal vision is integral to learning and development, and myopia can impact vision from an early age. Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a common condition that makes distant objects blurry while nearby objects remain clear. It affects nearly 30% of Canadians, and cases worldwide continue to rise.

Although myopia can’t be reversed it can be treated if we detect it in early childhood. If myopia develops unaddressed, it could lead to high myopia, creating a greater likelihood of developing other eye conditions later in life.

St. Marys Optometry excels with kids, and we offer different myopia control methods to suit each little patient. We also have a play zone, so any siblings don’t get too stir-crazy in the front room.

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Myopia: What Is It?

Myopia usually develops during childhood and worsens through adolescence until eye growth stabilizes around age 20.

The condition is a refractive error, meaning there’s an issue with how light focuses in the eye. When the eyeball grows too long, or the cornea’s curvature grows too steep, light no longer focuses on the retina where it should. This leads to myopia, impacting distance vision while near vision stays crisp and in focus.

Although the cause of myopia remains unknown, studies suggest that it can happen due to a combination of factors that lead to eye elongation, including:

Hereditary predisposition
Increased near work
Reduced time spent outdoors

How St. Marys Optometry Can Help

Myopia treatment (also known as myopia control) encompasses several methods that can slow myopia’s progression. We’ll recommend the appropriate form depending on your child and their unique needs.

We want to acknowledge that as technology evolves and becomes available, we will add to our treatment methods—we may have options in the office that are not listed here.

Spectacle Lenses

Eyeglasses are a tried-and-true method of correcting myopic vision, and Hoya’s MiyoSmart lenses take it a step further. These spectacle lenses use peripheral defocus, which blurs peripheral vision and has been proven to slow myopia growth by about 60%.

Children of all ages can comfortably wear these glasses and reap the benefits of myopia management.

Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are another method to help manage myopia. One of our options is CooperVision’s MiSight 1 day contact lenses, which are proven to slow myopia progression while correcting vision in children as young as 8.

As the name suggests, these contacts are single-use and disposable. Our doctors have years of experience fitting these lenses to ensure kids feel comfortable.

Low-Dose Atropine Drops

Atropine eye drops relax the muscles in your pupils, so they don’t respond as much to light. These drops have also been shown to effectively slow myopia progression in children when used in low doses at bedtime.

How these drops work for myopia is complicated, but experts speculate that they bind to growth receptors in the eyes and prevent the eyes from growing too long.

Clear Vision for Learning & Playing

Enabling your kids to see their best may feel like a thankless task as a parent because your kids may not even realize they have an eye problem.

We can help guide you and your little one through the whole process to set them up for developmental success. Let’s preserve their enjoyment of playing and learning!

Our location

Wanna see what we’re all about?

We’re in the heart of St. Marys on Queen Street East. There’s parking outside our front door, but you can easily walk to us even if you park a few blocks away.