If your child’s glasses prescription seems to get stronger every year, their nearsightedness may be progressing. Myopia, or nearsightedness, often begins during childhood and can continue to worsen as the eyes grow. While updated glasses can help your child see clearly, they do not necessarily address the progression of myopia itself. At Eye Focus Northwest, we offer myopia management designed to help slow the progression of nearsightedness and support your child’s long-term vision and eye health.

How Can You Tell If Myopia Is Getting Worse?

Children may not always realize their distance vision has changed. They often adapt to blurry vision or assume that what they see is normal. Regular pediatric eye exams allow us to monitor prescription changes and identify progression before it begins interfering with everyday activities.

Signs that your child’s myopia may be worsening include:

•          Squinting to see the board, television, or distant objects

•          Sitting closer to screens or moving closer to see clearly

•          Complaining that their current glasses no longer provide sharp distance vision

•          Frequent headaches or eye strain

•          Difficulty recognizing people or objects from a distance

•          Needing stronger glasses prescriptions at successive eye exams

A noticeable pattern of prescription changes is an important reason to discuss myopia management with your eye doctor.

The Importance of Managing Myopia

Myopia management focuses on more than providing clearer vision today. As nearsightedness progresses, the eye typically grows longer. Higher levels of myopia are associated with an increased lifetime risk of certain eye conditions, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, and myopic macular changes.

Starting treatment while a child’s eyes are still developing may help slow this progression. The appropriate time to begin depends on factors such as your child’s age, prescription, rate of change, family history, and overall eye health.

Myopia Management Options for Children

At Eye Focus Northwest, we take a personalized approach to myopia management. After evaluating your child’s vision, eye health, prescription history, and lifestyle, we can recommend an option suited to their individual needs.

Treatment may include orthokeratology, also known as Ortho-K, which uses specially designed overnight contact lenses to temporarily reshape the cornea. We may also recommend low-dose atropine eye drops or multifocal contact lenses designed to provide clear vision while helping manage myopia progression. In some cases, combining approaches may be appropriate depending on how quickly a child’s nearsightedness is changing.

Do Not Wait for the Next Stronger Prescription

If your child regularly needs stronger glasses, it may be worth looking beyond standard vision correction. A comprehensive eye exam allows us to track changes over time and determine whether myopia management could benefit your child.

Schedule your child’s myopia management consultation with Eye Focus Northwest to learn how we can help protect their developing vision. Contact our office in Salem by calling (971) 808-2640, or our office in Tigard at (971) 202-1932 book an appointment today.