Myopia Control

Until recently, nothing could be done to slow down the progression of myopia. However, numerous peer-reviewed studies have been completed demonstrating the effectiveness of 3 treatment options that have been proven to slow down the progression of myopia in children by about 50% each.

Atropine

The first treatment option that showed consistent effectiveness was low dose atropine. ATOM 1 Study ³, published in 2006, was the first large scale clinical trial that proved the atropine is effective in slowing the progression of myopia in children. This was followed up by the ATOM 2 ⁴ study, which proved that low dose atropine (0.01%) was more effective and less visual side effects than full strength atropine 1%. Then, in 2018, the LAMP Study ⁵ evaluated different concentrations of low dose atropine, and concluded that 0.05% atropine was slightly more effective than 0.01% atropine without an adverse effect on vision-related quality of life. In summary, low dose atropine appears to slow myopia progression by about 50% with little to no visual side effects, depending on the atropine concentration.

Orthokeratology (Hard contact lenses)

Think of these contacts as retainers for the cornea. OrthoK lenses are only worn at night, where they temporarily reshape the cornea before being removed upon waking up in the morning. This provides the patient with clear vision for the entire next day without having to wear contacts or glasses. More importantly, the improved optics of the cornea is theorized to decrease the signal the eye receives to grow excessively long, thus slowing down the progression of myopia. This has been found to slow the progression of myopia by about 50% ⁶.

Multifocal Soft CLs

These lenses create a similar optics to orthokeratology, but done using soft, multifocal contact lenses ⁷ worn daily instead of a hard lens worn at night. These lenses are very similar to lenses adults wear after age 40 to achieve simultaneous distance and near vision without the need for reading glasses. This is typically the first option for more mature kids due to ease of use and similar efficacy.

The decision between these three options for myopia control for your child is determined though an in-depth conversation with Dr. Cap and the patient’s family, factoring in age, maturity, and life-style.