Myopia Management at Desert Iris Vision in Gilbert AZ

Nearsightedness is usually treated with prescriptions in adults. For children, monitoring how their eyes change is critical to their long-term vision. At Desert Iris Vision in Gilbert, AZ, Shadan Zangana provides myopia management so your child’s vision is not only corrected today, but also remains healthy for the future.

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Why does Myopia Management Matter?

Myopia is a progressive disease. It advances as your child ages, posing greater long-term risk to their eye health in adulthood. Managing it early matters, as it significantly decreases the risk of retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, and glaucoma. These conditions are often the result of untreated, high levels of myopia.

Progression is especially fast in children, as their visual system develops rapidly in the early years of development. The severe structural risks to the eyes posed by myopia develop silently during childhood, making myopia management critical, especially between the ages of 6 and 14.

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Who is Myopia Management Right For?

Myopia management is generally most effective for children aged 6 to 14 years old. This is the age range when ocular development happens fastest and results in rapid myopia progression.

Children diagnosed at a younger age tend to gain the most benefits, simply because a long stretch of growth is yet to happen. Shadan Zangana also factors in the family’s ability to maintain uniformity with treatment. This could be nightly eye drops, or making sure the child wears the prescribed eyeglasses. Consistency plays a vital role in myopia management.

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How a Child’s Eyes Change with Myopia and its Progression

Myopia is a refractive condition, diagnosed when the eye grows slightly longer than necessary, from front to back. This extra length causes light to focus ahead of the retina instead of directly on it. It makes distant objects look blurry, while the close-up vision remains stable. The condition is often referred to as nearsightedness for this very reason.

The commonly prescribed baseline treatment used early is eyeglasses. This, however, is a surface fix as it does not slow myopia progression itself. Relying on glasses without proper intervention often causes your child’s prescription to climb year after year.

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Signs Worth Paying Attention To

Children rarely realize when their vision changes, or they rarely tell if anything feels off. The most common reason for this is their perception that their own vision must be uniform with everyone around them. Myopia also develops gradually, so a few patterns worth paying attention to are:

• Losing interest in activities that require distance vision – This could be sudden disinterest in playing sports, disengagement in classrooms, reluctance in visiting movie theaters.
• Leaning in or tilting the head while seeing something – Physically closing the distance between screens, classroom boards, books while reading, or slightly tilting the head are typical signs of myopia.
• An eyeglass prescription that increases constantly – Getting an updated prescription once in a few years is normal. A pattern of consistent change, however, can be a telling sign of active myopia progression.
• A parent or family member with myopia – Nearsightedness is often hereditary. A family history warrants an elevated frequency of eye exams to catch and receive myopia management early.

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Treatment Options in Myopia Management

Myopia in children is generally managed with highly specific clinical treatments and integrating positive lifestyle changes. The primary goal of both is to slow down the progress of eye elongation. Depending on your child’s age and how soon the disease is caught, treatment options vary. Commonly used interventions are:

• Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) – Custom, rigid lenses that your child wears at night. They gently change the shape of the cornea while the child is sleeping, giving them visual clarity during the day. This is without the use of eyeglasses or contacts, all the while elongation is slowed.
• Myopia controlling spectacle lenses – These eyeglass lenses are built using a specific optical design that changes how light focuses towards the retina’s periphery. The aim is to reduce visual cues linked to eye size growth.
• Multifocal soft contacts – These contacts are disposed of daily after use. Specially designed for children, they use the same principles as ortho-k lenses, the difference being that they are worn during the day.
• Diluted atropine eye drops – A once-nightly medical option often considered when other options may not be a good fit for your child, or if the treatment requires a layered approach.

While highly effective, clinical treatments are part of the larger equation. Everyday habits play an important role in myopia management. Research has linked time spent outdoors having an active effect in slowing down early progression of the disease. On the other hand, extended near vision activities like reading or using screens very closely often accelerate eye elongation rate.

Shadan Zangana typically factors in outdoor time and screen time of your child while planning suitable treatment.

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What a Myopia Management Evaluation Looks Like

Your child’s myopia evaluation starts with a comprehensive eye exam and a refraction test to establish a baseline and determine current prescription, if present. Shadan Zangana measures the length of the eye and the curvature of the cornea. Future evaluations are compared against the results of this particular observation. Shadan Zangana firmly believes in patient education about their diagnosis and their treatments. Keeping in line with that, you are informed about the factors that affect your child’s myopia management treatment, as well as about the options that are most suitable for their needs.

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Payment and Insurance

We are happy to provide details about available payment options and accepted insurance plans. Please call us directly to discuss options prior to your visit.

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Schedule a Myopia Management Consultation Today!

Have you been noticing behavioral changes that point towards your child’s vision? Contact Desert Iris Vision and schedule your child’s comprehensive eye exam. Call or visit our office today.

Contact Information
Desert Iris Vision
3546 S Power Rd #105
Phone: (480) 907-0123