Children's Eye Institute of Savannah 

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is when the eye cannot see far away. Glasses and contacts are tools that can be used to achieve clear vision. In general, our population is becoming more and more nearsighted; it is predicted that 50% of the population with be nearsighted by 2050. High myopia is a risk factor for other eye conditions such as retinal detachment and glaucoma later on in life. It is becoming more standard to recommend treatments in addition to glasses or contacts to help slow the progression of myopia to minimize the risks in the future. 

The World Health Organization recommends increasing outdoor time in the sun, decreasing screen time, and wearing glasses full time when recommend by your eye doctor to limit the progression of myopia.

In addition, we offer the following exciting techniques to control myopia:

 

Low Dose Atropine - 

* Atropine is a common eye drop used to dilate pupils. It has been shown that when used at low concentrations  it can slow the progression of myopia. 

* As this approach is not yet FDA approved, these drops are formulated at specialty compounding pharmacies and are used in both eyes nightly before bedtime longterm until the child has passed puberty.  It is not yet covered by most insurances.

 

MiSight Contact lenses - 

* MiSight contact lenses are FDA aproved for myopia control in children ages 8 to 12 years old.  It has been shown that myopia progression slows when lenses are worn for a minimum of 10 hours a day 6 days a week. 

* These contact lenses are daily disposable lenses that are safe to use in kids. 

* Our staff teaches the child one on one how to insert and remove contact lenses. 

* If your child has astigmatism or these lenses are not the best match, other contact lenses can be considered, but they are not yet FDA approved.

Click here to learn more about MiSight 

Click here to watch videos of contact lens care and handling