Protecting Their Sight for the Future
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a refractive error that causes distant objects to appear blurry. It’s very common, affecting about 30% of the global population.
Because their eyes are still growing, myopia can progress quickly in children, causing frequent changes to their eyesight and prescription. However, high myopia (prescription of -6.00 diopters or more) can greatly increase the risk of eye diseases later in life.
At Sun Valley Eye Care, we take a preventive approach to managing myopia. By monitoring their eyes from a young age, we can catch and manage vision problems before they begin to impact sight.
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What Is Myopia Control?
Myopia control involves a variety of treatment methods that work to slow the progression of myopia in children. This may include special eye drops, glasses, contact lenses, or vision therapy.
Myopia control helps to reduce eye elongation to maintain your child’s eyesight and prevent high myopia, therefore reducing their risk of eye disease.
How We Manage Myopia
At Sun Valley Eye Care, myopia management can begin even before your child becomes nearsighted. From their first eye exam onward, we monitor and track their vision and eye growth over time.
By comparing their development to age-expected patterns, we can identify early signs of myopia risk. If we notice changes that suggest a higher chance of developing nearsightedness, we create a personalized treatment plan to intervene early.
If we notice changes to their vision or eyes that indicate myopia, our first line of defence is typically low-dose atropine eye drops. If your child is nearsighted, they may also need glasses or contact lenses to correct their vision.
If their myopia is progressing with the atropine eye drops, we’ll begin to look at other treatment options such as myopia control glasses or contact lenses. Finally, we will provide a referral to a vision therapist, should this extra support help your child.
Your child’s eyes are unique. When we determine treatment plans for myopia control, we’ll work together with you and your child to determine which methods will be most effective, based on their vision, age, and preferences.
Atropine eye drops are medicated eye drops used to dilate the pupils. At very low concentrations, they help to defocus the eyes slightly and slow myopia progression. These drops are applied at night before bed.
MiSight 1 day contact lenses by CooperVision are daily disposable lenses approved for children 8 and older. They have multiple prescription powers within the lens. The inner ring corrects blurry vision, while the outer ring helps to slow myopia progression.
Multifocal contact lenses work similarly to multifocal glasses. They contain multiple powers to correct both near and distant vision. Multifocal contact lenses correct refractive errors from nearsightedness and focus peripheral (side) vision in front of the retina to signal that the eye is long enough.
Myopia control glasses can be a good option for younger children or kids who aren’t comfortable with contact lenses. They use specifically-designed technology to correct central vision, but adjust peripheral (side) vision to focus in front of the retina rather than behind it.
Healthy Habits to Support Healthy Eyes
Beyond myopia control methods such as contact lenses or glasses, there are also some habits you can encourage at home to support healthy eye development in your children.
Spending time outside is important for children’s vision. Outdoor play encourages children to use distance vision and gives their eyes a break from the intense focus of near work on activities like homework or digital devices. To build healthy habits with your kids, prioritize outdoor time every day, even in the winter. Remember to protect your child’s eyes from the UV rays with sunglasses. Try to get outside with them; it’s good for your eyes, too.
As well, it’s a good idea to minimize their leisure time spent on screens. Kids aren’t immune to digital eye strain, and prolonged screen time is linked to the development or progression of myopia in children.
Support Their Vision Today
Myopia can develop at any point, from infancy to adulthood. Monitoring your child’s eyes from 6 months on can help us track their eye growth and catch myopia early. By managing myopia progression, we can preserve their eyesight and prevent future complications.
Be proactive about your child’s vision. Book their eye exam today.
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Why Sun Valley Eye Care?
Health-Focused Care
Your eye health is our focus. We offer extensive diagnostic imaging, eye alignment checks, and vision tests to make sure your eyes are healthy and functioning well together to prevent headaches, eye strain, or other discomfort.
Patient Education
We want you to understand your health and eye care options so you can make informed decisions. Our optometrists take time to walk you through any important information and answer all your questions.
Genuine Connection
Our team wants to get to know you and your family. We’re genuinely excited to catch up with you during your appointment and get a better understanding of your life and your needs. We believe this connection lets us serve you better.
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Finding Our Office
We’re on the main floor of the Sunpark Plaza building beside South Calgary Medical Clinic.
Where to Park?
Validated, accessible parking is available right outside.
Our Address
- 105-40 Sunpark Plaza SE
- Calgary, AB T2X 3X7
Contact Information
- Phone: 403-452-3443
- Email: vision@sunvalleyeyecare.ca
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Sun Valley Eye Care
- 105-40 Sunpark Plaza SE
- Calgary, AB T2X 3X7