Myopia Management And Control: 3 Effective Methods, Risk Factors, Advantages, Disadvantages & Safety Considerations

Myopia is quickly prevailing and has become a matter of concern in no time, isn’t it? A proper vision is a blessing and deterioration of it at a tender age is truly a loss. Myopia management and control got attention when the alarming stats and predictions revealed around 50% of people will be myopic by 2050. 

It persuades us to find a sound solution to combat this epidemic and how to control it so that it doesn’t affect people anymore. 

Although the terms myopia management and control are used interchangeably, myopia basically is the mismatch between refractive components of the eye and axial length which is the image focus in front of the retina. In myopia axial length elongates and the spherical equivalent refractive error becomes either equivalent to it greater than -0.50D.

The myopia management strategy lies in controlling it by slowing down axial elongation and simultaneously dioptric value if refractive error increments at this point.  

The myopia onset initiates at a pretty young age when the child is either 6 or 12 years old. The shift towards younger age has drastically increased the magnitude and now the spherical equivalent refractive error equals to that of -6.00D. The serious consequences caused if it isn’t controlled timely include cataracts, glaucoma,  macular degeneration, and Retinal detachment. 

It can be controlled by using eye drops, glasses, lenses, and some lifestyle modifications.

In this guide, we will delve deeper into myopia management and control methods, how they work, risk factors, safety considerations, advantages, and drawbacks.

What Is Myopia Management And Control?

To put a leash on declining vision, myopia management and control came into the picture. But what are they and how do they reduce continuous progression? It involves a number of methods that decrease the risk of vision deterioration caused due to Myopia. Myopia can’t be cured its it’s progression can be controlled by using atropine eye drops, glasses, and lenses, and bringing changes into a lifestyle.

Controlling myopia timely reduces the risk of sight-threatening conditions which usually have rhein onset in old life including, myopia macular degeneration,  primary open-angle glaucoma,  cataracts, and Retinal detachment which makes a person lose vision altogether.

Myopia management and control involves all the care a person needs till it has been diagnosed in childhood to tackle all the complications occurring till adulthood. Controlling is the key to effective management.

How Myopia Management And Control Works? 

How does such control work? Basically what happens is your axial length elongates and your eyeball lengthens in size from front to back, myopia management and control works by slowing down this elongation.

Different methods of control are proposed, which can be either used one by one or in combination, the lenses that are introduced to control myopia are designed to change how light focuses on the retina and are available in both ways either as eyeglasses in the form of contact lenses. 

Even myopia eye drops are proved to be effective in this regard. Optometrists have been recommending these drops for centuries but we still have research required to determine how these are working efficiently to treat myopia but with consistent use.

Some lifestyle modifications are also required, like spending time in sunlight as it regulates eye growth and reducing near work which demands more focus and attention if ne essay then make sure you are taking breaks in regular intervals to give rest to your eyes. 

Myopia Management And Control Methods

There are three main methods proposed that can be effective in myopia management and control and work in differences to counteract this ailment and reduce its progression.  

The interventions include modifying your daily habits, wearing lenses, and orthokeratology along with low-dose atropine eye drops. 

Myopia Contact Lenses

These myopia-specific contact lenses are different than the regular lenses used to correct myopia as these have different focusing power in different zones, these have high power in the denture and less power in the periphery. The reason behind this design is that the light entering the retina is only focused in front of the retina, therefore it’s called peripheral myopic defocus.

Wearing these lenses where the focus is centered in front of the retina prevents eyes from getting enlarged and it slows down progression by 59%. 

In U.S. such types of lenses are available as MiSight 1-day lenses by CooperVision. The multifocal contact lenses used to treat presbyopia also help in slowing down its progression but the efficiency is compromised. 

Myopia Managing Glasses 

For a decade, research has going on to design glasses that are effective in myopia management and control, and recent glasses have been designed that reduce myopic progression by 60%.

These glasses work in the same manner as creating peripheral myopic defocus and prevent eyeball elongation.  Although none of the glasses have been approved by the FDA yet there are two types that are getting huge hype. 

The Stellest lens by Essilor creates myopic defocus and uses HALT i.e., Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target, and g, it is recognized as FDA’s Breakthrough Device designation in 2021.

The other one is MiYOSMART which uses D.I.M.S i.e., Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments to create myopic defocus. These are effective but not as much as myopic control glasses. 

Orthokeratology

It’s a common vision correction method, but how is it effective? It’s also recognized as ortho-k and is widely used by optometrists to prevent myopia management in children. 

There are ortho-k-specific contact lenses that are gas-permeable and change cornea share overnight.

As these are worn overnight, it temperorarily brings a change so that when people wake up the next day see clearly. 

The temporary change is researched to reduce the risk of peripheral hyperopic blur and create peripheral myopic defocus and prevent elongation of eyeballs.

Atropine Eye Drops

These low-dose eye drops have their use in treating inflammation and help to diagnose strabismus and are mainly designed to relax eye muscles used to focus.

To slow down myopia progression, these atropine eye drops are also effective in reducing eye fatigue and greater influence on the receptors involved in the retina of the eye.

As per research, low-dose atropine eye drops with a concentration of 0.05% slow down progression by three years if children use it in peak years when myopia is affecting them greatly. It might rebound in some children like when they stop using it their myopia progresses and speeds up.

You can effectively control myopia’d you spend less time doing activities that require you to excessively use near vision and do more time outside doing outdoor activities.

Another means of treating myopia at an earlier stage is detecting it earlier and making sure your child gets tested regularly.

Risk Factors For Early Onset of Myopia

Myopia is undoubtedly a dreadful ailment for children and adults alike and requires immediate attention. Myopia management and control calls for deep insights into what actually causing it and what are the important risk factors contributing to its early onset. 

If your parents are myopic, then there’s a greater chance you will catch Myopia at your early age. 

Origin has a deeper impact on its occurrence, the most affected ones are belonging to East Asian ethnic origin.

If you have a sedentary lifestyle and have digital work which requires a lot of near vision and you don’t spend time outside doing outdoor activities then you will suffer from Myopia. 

These factors suggest children who play outside and don’t play video games that require near vision are at lesser risk of developing myopia. Make sure you encourage your children to spend time outside and relate a balance between online and physical games of myopia progression or not. 

Advantages & Disadvantages 

There are several pros and cons offered by effective myopia management and control. 

Advantages

Does it slow down myopia progression? Yes, it surely does, It reduces the risk by 40% to 60%. 

People who get timely and proper management are at less risk of suffering from an eye disorder later in their lives. 

Disadvantages

Not everyone can have maximum and 100% results as some may suffer from marginally unclear vision during treatment. 

Management includes wearing contact lenses which can cause complications in people. 

Myopia Management And Control isn’t cheap at all, it’s more expensive than just wearing glasses and lenses.

There isn’t a certainty that the long-term merits will be worth all the accompanying risks and costs. 

Is Myopia Management And Control Safe?

There aren’t any additional risks though, the risks of wearing myopia management and control glasses pose similar risks to wearing regular glasses which aren’t many. 

The risk of wearing a myopia lens poses the same risks as wearing a regular lens, you might feel some discomfort and infrequent blurred vision. 

There is another concern that can be expected by wearing lenses is corneal infections which may cause sight loss entirely. 

If you wear contact lenses overnight, then beware as it cause more damage than you can expect. Always follow hygiene tips given by the optometrist and how to properly keep it so that it stays effective for a long time and poses no complications. 

If your child wears lenses, then take all the precautions on your own and take them for regular checkups. 

Bottom-line 

In conclusion, optometrists and eye care practitioners should proactively diagnose myopia, identify all the risk factors, and make plans about appropriate myopia management and control that help slow down myopia progression. 

The effective methods include wearing myopia-specific contact lenses and glasses along with some habits like spending time doing outdoor activities.  

These work wonders in building a strong framework that effectively manages myopia because if it isn’t treated timely it would result in visual impairment and permanent blindness. 

Give it a thorough read to determine how to control this ailment as the first priority.

FAQs on Myopia Management And Control 

What are myopia control solutions? 

It can be effectively controlled by myopia Contact Lenses, myopia control eyeglasses, orthokeratology, and atropine eye drops.

How to reduce myopia? 

It can be reduced by relaxing your eye muscles. Sit in a comfortable position in a quiet place, blink your eyes for 10 seconds and then close it for 20 seconds and repeat it 5-10 times until your eyes feel tired and avoid screen time completely.

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