Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common eye condition that affects many children worldwide at an increasing rate. Myopia typically progresses with age and often does not level off until teenage years. With the younger onset of myopia, many children are progressing to higher levels of myopia than their parents’ generation. Moderate to high myopia is associated with a longer eyeball (increased axial length), which increases the risk of diseases like retinal tears, retinal detachments, glaucoma, and even eye crossing.
There has been much research in the field of slowing down the progression of myopia. At UCEC, we have been offering dilute Atropine eye drops made by a compounding pharmacy as a treatment for slowing down myopia in select children between the ages of 5 and 16. Now we are happy to offer another option which can be used alone or in combination with dilute atropine eye drops: MiSight Contact Lenses!
MiSight are daily disposable soft contact lenses which have been approved for use in children as young as 8 years old. In a randomized controlled study done over 7 years, MiSight contacts slowed down the worsening of myopia by 59%. Another added benefit is the ability for younger children who are candidates for this treatment to have contact lenses as an alternative to their glasses. MiSight lenses are revolutionary in that they are soft, not hard contacts, with peripheral zones of defocus, which allow clear central vision, while slowing down abnormal eye growth and myopia!
At UCEC, Dr. Nidhi Rana and Dr. Rose Hughes are highly trained in the fitting of MiSight as well as other contact lenses. They will now be offering this treatment to families who are interested if the children meet certain criteria for MiSight fitting and training.
If you are interested and would like more information on MiSight, please give our office a call at (732) 613-9191 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Rana or Dr. Hughes.
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