Myopia Management

Welcome to Ciotti Eye Care, where vision care meets innovation. We take immense pride in being the premier myopia management office in the area. With a steadfast commitment to enhancing vision and the overall health of our patients, Dr. Reanne and Dr. Nick harness the latest advancements in myopia management to provide personalized and effective solutions for patients of all ages. As we prioritize your ocular health and the preservation of your vision, we invite you to discover how Ciotti Eye Care is leading the way in the battle against myopia.

What is Myopia?

Myopia, often referred to as nearsightedness, is a common vision condition that affects the way you see objects at a distance. If you or your child is diagnosed with myopia, it means that distant objects appear blurry or out of focus, while close-up objects can be seen more clearly. This occurs because the eyeball tends to be slightly longer than usual or the cornea's curvature is too steep, causing light entering the eye to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it.

Myopia can develop during childhood and typically progresses until the late teens or early twenties. If left unmanaged, severe myopia can increase the risk of eye-related issues later in life. However, the good news is that myopia can be effectively managed with proper treatment and early intervention. Ciotti Eye Care is here to help you and your family achieve optimal vision and health.

Common Signs of Myopia that patients or parents may notice:

Blurry Distance Vision: Objects at a distance, such as road signs or the whiteboard at school may appear blurry and hard to see clearly.

Squinting: People with myopia often instinctively squint their eyes when trying to see distant objects, as this can temporarily improve focus.

Frequent Eye Rubbing: Constantly rubbing the eyes may be a sign of myopia as it can result from eye strain caused by trying to see distant objects.

Sitting Close to Screens or Books: Children with myopia may prefer to sit very close to the TV, computer or when reading to see more clearly.

Complaints of Eye Fatigue: Myopia can lead to eye fatigue, especially after activities that require focusing on distance objects, such as sports or outdoor play.

Difficulty Seeing Clearly at Night: Myopia can make it challenging to see well in low-light conditions, such as driving at night, due to increased glare and halos around lights.

Frequent Headaches: Straining to see distant objects can lead to headaches which may become more frequent in individuals with myopia.

Risks Associated with Myopia Progression:

Increased Reliance on Corrective Lenses: As myopia worsens, individuals may become increasingly reliant on glasses or contact lenses to see clearly, impacting their daily activities and quality of life.

Eyestrain and Discomfort: People who suffer with myopia often experience visual stress, especially during tasks that require prolonged periods of focusing on close-up objects. If left uncorrected, this near point stress often will cause myopia to progress, especially in the adolescent years.

Visual Distortions: Advanced myopia can cause distortions in the shape and size of objects, making it challenging to perceive the world accurately.

Higher Risk of Eye Diseases: Severe myopia is associated with an increased risk of developing eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, myopic maculopathy and retinal detachment, which can potentially lead to vision loss if left untreated.

Myopia Progression

The American Optometric Association (AOA) now recognizes myopia as a significant public health concern and actively promotes awareness of myopia as a disease. Myopic progression has accelerated in recent years due to a complex phenomenon with multiple contributing factors. While it’s challenging to pinpoint a single cause, several interrelated factors have been proposed to explain this trend: increased screen time, reduced outdoor time, genetic predisposition, educational pressure (increased near work) and early onset of myopia. It's important to note that myopia is a multifactorial condition, and its progression may be influenced by a combination of these factors. Early diagnosis and early intervention are key. At Ciotti Eye Care we understand that each person is different. We take the time to discuss the patient’s lifestyle, the patient’s visual needs and the patient’s risk factors for developing myopia. If needed, we then take a proactive approach to explain potential treatment options to either halt the progression of myopia or to drastically reduce the progression of myopia over time.

To address the issue of faster myopia progression, we often recommend myopia management strategies, such as orthokeratology (ortho-K) lenses, specialty soft contact lenses and/or atropine eye drops. We discuss lifestyle changes to reduce screen time and to increase outdoor activities. Early intervention and regular eye exams are key to managing myopia effectively.

Myopia Management Treatment

Myopia can affect both children and adults, but there are some key differences in its presentation and management between these two groups. Myopia often starts during childhood, typically between the ages of 6 and 12. For many, it can progress rapidly during the growing years. Although adults may need their prescription modified, oftentimes, healthy adults have relatively stable myopia. Children are much more susceptible to myopia increasing. For this reason, we offer early intervention strategies at Ciotti Eye Care.

MiSight
MiSight by CooperVision are soft, daily disposable contact lenses specifically designed for slowing the progression of myopia in children. It also corrects the vision from the first day of wear. MiSight lenses are currently available in prescriptions -0.50 to -7.00 diopters in the United States.

The recommended wearing time of MiSight lenses is at least six days per week, 10 or more hours per day to maximize the therapeutic effect. These lenses should never be worn while sleeping or while showering. This lens is designed with a center-distance correction area surrounded by circular zones of alternating distance and near power. Studies show this design slows eye growth and increases in prescription by focusing light in front of the peripheral retina (known as myopic defocus).

CooperVision Reports Five-Year Data from
Landmark Pediatric Myopia Management Study | CooperVision

Ortho-Keratology
Ortho-K lenses are custom-made gas-permeable contact lenses, individually crafted to match the unique shape of the patient's eye and achieve the desired treatment effect. These lenses are applied before bedtime and worn throughout the night. While worn, they gently reshape the front surface of the cornea, which is the outermost part of the eye, to correct the patient's vision during sleep. These lenses are worn at night and taken out during the day.

The complete effect of Ortho-K lenses may take a few weeks to fully manifest. Once this effect is achieved, your child will enjoy improved vision without the need for glasses or daytime contact lenses the following day. You read that correctly, your child will not need contact lenses or glasses the next day to see clearly! It's important to note that this correction is temporary and necessitates nightly use to maintain clear vision during waking hours.

Ortho-K can correct a wide range of prescriptions, ranging from -1.00 DS to -6.00 DS of myopia and up to -1.75 DC of astigmatism. For higher corrections, specialized lens designs may be utilized to achieve the desired visual outcome.

Atropine Therapy
Typically prescribed for nightly use, low dose atropine drops work by relaxing the eye’s focusing system, which helps to reduce the eye’s elongation and limit the degree to which myopia worsens over time. We often can use Atropine drops to limit myopia progression in kiddos who are not good candidates for contact lens wear. Atropine therapy is designed to be administered daily. Atropine therapy must be consistently administered, and the drop strength properly prescribed for adequate treatment.

Please feel free to call the office or use our online scheduler to schedule your appointment today. We recommend all children 8 and under be scheduled with Dr. Reanne Ciotti as she is our pediatric specialist. Please feel free to call the office with any questions or concerns.