Does My Child Have Myopia?

Oct 10, 2022 | Myopia Management

VisionQuest Child Patients

MyopiaΒ Symptoms and How To Treat

Treehouse EyesΒ is a specialty pediatric eye care practice treatingΒ myopicΒ children with aΒ nationwide network of doctors. Recently, doctors in our Treehouse Eyes community had theΒ chance to spread the word about myopia with local media coverage.

Our doctors are passionate about spreading awareness about theΒ myopia epidemicΒ and how early intervention can mean aΒ lot for your child’s eye health. Explore some of the topics our peers covered in recent interviews.

How To Tell If Your Child Is Nearsighted

It’s not always simple to detect whether or not your child is nearsighted. Watching out for theΒ common symptomsΒ of myopia is key to determining whether or not your child needs treatment.

Treehouse Eyes partner, Dr. Aimee Jacobs OD, discusses someΒ signs to look out for.Β Dr. Jacobs explains, β€œIf they’re having trouble focusing in school if they can’t stay on task if itΒ seems like it might be a behavior issue, a lot of times it’s because they can’t see what they’reΒ doing or they can’t see what they’re doing well enough to focus on it.”

Screen Time As a Risk Factor

As screen time increases, so does the early onset of myopia. Treehouse Eyes has observed aΒ 30 percent increaseΒ in the number of myopic children being treated since the pandemic began.

Dr. Tiffany Martinez recalls theΒ effects of the pandemic on children, β€œDuring the pandemic, weΒ saw a lot more kids they we saw become myopic than we did before.” This is due to theΒ decreased time outdoors and increases inΒ near work.

Another Treehouse Eyes partner, Dr. Ryan Stybel describes theΒ effects of too much β€˜near work’,Β β€œScreen time or near work is causing myopia to start at an earlier age but also progress moreΒ rapidly.”

He then goes on to explain the implications of COVID isolation, β€œWe’re just getting through aΒ pandemic, myopia is an epidemic, especially with the increased screen time and virtual learning.

Limiting screen time is a very important thing and taking frequent breaks and spending timeΒ outdoors. We recommend 90 minutes a day outdoors to use the natural sunlight and looking atΒ distant objects can be beneficial and help their eyes from getting worse.”

What To Look For As a Parent

Myopia is a treatable and preventable disease, annual eye exams are highly recommendedΒ because oftentimes children are unable to articulate their symptoms to a parent.

Dr. Denise Smith, a Treehouse Eyes doctor featured onΒ KVUE-TVΒ in Austin, Texas providesΒ some tips on how to detect myopia, β€œParents can be looking for if the child is squinting, if theyΒ can’t see the board at school they might be complaining of headaches, or holding books closerΒ to their face holding their phone closer, maybe getting closer to the television.”

So why is it essential to go through myopia management and treatment rather than just gettingΒ glasses? Dr. Smith explains whyΒ myopia treatmentΒ is critical, β€œIf the child is diagnosed withΒ myopia, just getting glasses can help them see clearly, but will not do anything to stop theΒ progression or prevent the eyeball from getting longer. So you want to be able to have thoseΒ specialized treatments to actually stop that process which in turn can prevent sight-threateningΒ disorders later on.”

Let Treehouse Eyes Help Manage Your Child’s Myopia

Treating myopia early is crucial to prevent children’s vision from getting worse. Our mission is toΒ give children better vision for life so children can have a life advantage to being able toΒ participate in more activities. Myopia management also provides a lower risk for future vision-relatedΒ diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts. If you are worried thatΒ your child might have myopia,Β schedule an appointmentΒ nowΒ to talk to our doctors and find out how we can help your child manage myopia.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

Subscribe to the VisionQuest Eyecare newsletter and be the first to receive updates on the latest eye care tips, treatments, and services.Β 

Why Subscribe?

  • Expert eye care advice and tips
  • Exclusive updates on new treatments and technology
  • Special promotions and offers
  • Upcoming events and community news

Stay connected with VisionQuest Eyecare in Greenwood and Fishers, Indiana, and ensure your eyesβ€”and your family’s eyesβ€”stay in great health!

"*" indicates required fields

Location*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.