Do Contact Lenses Prevent Nearsightedness from Getting Worse?

Nearsightedness, better known as myopia, is the most common refractive eye condition in the world. Studies estimate that around 41.6% of Americans suffer from nearsightedness, and this number is expected to increase over the coming decade. In fact, some research indicates that myopia will affect nearly half of the global population by 2050. 

Myopia most often develops in childhood as a result of the eyeball growing too long when compared to the focusing power of the natural lens of the eye. Although anyone can develop myopia, you are more likely to get it if you have parents with the condition, if you spend a lot of time on screens, or if you don’t get enough natural sunlight. 

Myopia is characterized by the ability to see nearby objects clearly, such as a book or cell phone screen. Conversely, objects that are further away are increasingly blurred. This can make simple day to day tasks such as driving, reading road signs, and even watching television much more difficult. And in the case of children, suffering from undiagnosed and untreated myopia can severely impact their learning ability.

Another problem with myopia is that it is progressive. This means that it will nearly always get worse unless you undergo treatment. People who suffer from high levels of myopia (and require strong prescription lenses to be able to see clearly), are much more likely to suffer from other problems with the health of their eyes in the future, including glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment. Many of these eye conditions can have permanent consequences for your vision. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to help slow and even halt the progression of myopia. 

How to Slow Myopia

If you want to stop your or your child’s nearsightedness from getting worse, there are a few different things that you can do. Eye doctors recommend that you:

• Take regular screen breaks - Follow the 20/20/20 rule whenever you can. This is where you look at something a least 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds, every 20 minutes. This enables the natural lens of your eye to relax and refocus
• Spend more time outside - Research shows that people who spend more time indoors are more likely to develop nearsightedness. This is thought to be a combination of the effect of being in a darker environment for a prolonged period of time and a lack of vitamin D
• Atropine eyedrops - These are a popular treatment for myopia that work by dilating the pupil of the eye to let more light in, which relaxes the natural lens
• Specialty contact lenses

Contact Lenses to Prevent Nearsightedness

Traditionally, contact lenses are designed to alter the way that light enters the eyes in order to simply correct nearsightedness. However, there are also now speciality contact lenses that are specifically designed to minimize the increase in nearsightedness that often occurs in children as they grow. 

MiSight® soft contact lenses are the first FDA-approved contact lenses for myopia control. They are recommended for children aged between 8 and 12 years of age. These daily disposable lenses are comfortable, effective at slowing the progression of myopia, and easy to wear. They enable children to continue to enjoy the activities that they enjoy, while also benefitting from clear vision. 

MiSight® lenses work by correcting the refractive error to improve distance vision in your child’s eyes, similar to the way that a standard corrective lens works. However, they also have a series of concentric peripheral rings in the lens which focus part of the light in front of the retina, slowing the progression of myopia. 

If you would like more information about how contact lenses prevent nearsightedness, please contact our friendly and experienced eyecare team at Clarity Vision in Clayton, North Carolina at (919) 550-4801 today.