Hey Ya’ll!
I am excited to announce that Two C Eye Care in Manvel, Texas is equipped with technology that will predict if your child will develop myopia (nearsightedness = cannot see far away). In addition, there are FDA approved treatments to give your child the best outcome.
What is Myopia?
Myopia is a condition where the eye grows too fast and too long which results in nearsightedness, or the inability to see far away. The condition normally onsets around the age of 6. The condition may continue to worsen until adulthood. As the prescription progresses beyond -3.00 diopters, it doubles the risk for retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts and myopic macular degeneration. The condition is a global epidemic, and 44.8% of the united states population are myopic.
Causes
Myopia is caused by an excessive elongation of the eye. The trigger for elongation has been studied for the past 40 years, and disturbance in visual input was found to be the trigger for excessive elongation of the eye. New treatment restores this visual disturbance to slow down the elongation of the eye.
Risk Factors
- Not having enough outdoor exposure
- Too much near work such as reading and computer work
- Family History
- Both parents are nearsighted = 50% chance of developing nearsightedness
- One parent is nearsighted = 33% chance of developing nearsightedness
- Either parent are nearsighted = 25% of developing nearsightedness
Signs and Symptoms
- Blurry vision when looking at distant objects (e.g., front of a classroom, TV, street signs)
- Squinting or partially closing the eyelids to see clearly, especially at a distance
- Difficulty seeing while driving a vehicle, especially at night
- Holding books or devices very close while reading
- Headaches caused by excessive eyestrain
- Excessive blinking and/or rubbing eyes frequently from eyestrain
Treatment
I am fortunate to be certified in many FDA approved treatment options for your child. There are two treatment options available for your child which includes specially designed soft contact lens (MiSight by Coopervision) and Orthokeratology(Abiliti by Johnson and Johnson). The treatment option will be chosen based on your child’s clinical findings. The treatment slows down the growth in hopes to halt or stop myopia. The goal of the treatment is to prevent your child from progressing to a -3.00 diopter in prescription. As mentioned above, once your child progresses to a -3.00 diopter in prescription or above, their risk for glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy increases two times. If your child increases beyond -3.00 diopters, the risk increases the more your child progresses beyond -3.00.
Conclusion
The take away of this blog is that there is now TECHNOLOGY to predict whether your child will progress to develop nearsightedness BEFORE it happens. And, there is now FDA APPROVED TREATMENT to manage myopia!! Our optometrist office in Manvel, TX has technology to predict the nearsightedness, and our team is fully trained to treat your child’s nearsightedness. I want to start this campaign in the great community of Manvel, TX called #STOPMYOPIA. From a public health standpoint, I want to educate my community in Manvel, TX on this condition and new treatments available. There is more of a reason for you to bring your child in for an eye examination whether your child sees good, or not. Another take away is if both parents are nearsighted, there is a 50% chance of your child developing myopia, if only one parent is nearsighted, there is a 33% chance of your child developing myopia, and if no parents are nearsighted, there is a 25% chance of your child developing myopia.
Dr. Jerry Cao at Two C Eye in Manvel, Texas is serving patients in Manvel, Iowa Colony, Rosharon, Alvin, Fresno, Arcola, and Sienna
Call us for a consultation at 346-978-0713