{"id":10128,"date":"2021-03-01T11:23:58","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T11:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=10128"},"modified":"2021-07-14T08:49:02","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T08:49:02","slug":"why-are-my-childs-eyes-weakening","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-pediatric-eye-conditions\/what-is-myopia-management\/why-are-my-childs-eyes-weakening\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are My Child\u2019s Eyes Weakening?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Are you concerned your child\u2019s eyes are weakening? Why does this happen?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Children&#8217;s eyes can weaken and lenses become stronger, but should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-pediatric-eye-conditions\/what-is-myopia\/should-i-be-worried-about-myopia\/\">I be concerned<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>Every year parents buy their children clothing without blinking twice. They just know their children have outgrown their clothing, needing a new pair of pants and certainly new shoes. Well, this also applies to prescription glasses, as while a child grows, so do their eyes.<\/p>\n<p><i>If you are concerned about your child\u2019s eyes\u00a0 visit your eye doctor for an eye exam.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The<\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"> <i>Find an Eye Doctor<\/i><\/a> <i>directory provides a list of eye doctors near you that can conduct eye exams which can help diagnose and treat your child\u2019s myopia<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-pediatric-eye-conditions\/what-is-myopia-management\/myopia-management-faqs\/\">Myopia Management FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor for children near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Changes in children\u2019s eyes<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Babies are born with eyes about 16.5 millimeters in length. Eyes stop getting longer at the age of 20 and 21 &#8211; getting to be about 24 millimeters long.<\/p>\n<p>The way eyes refract light onto the retina can change as the eye grows, making it necessary for a new prescription.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Should I be worried about myopia?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>If a child\u2019s eyes grow too long, they develop nearsightedness &#8211; myopia.<\/p>\n<p><b>Children whose myopia develops quickly, and\/or is moderate to severe, are at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/what-is-myopia-management\/\">heightened risk<\/a> of developing retinal diseases and other sight-threatening eye diseases in adulthood<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>During a child\u2019s first few years, they are mainly concerned with interacting with their surroundings, requiring them to use their far and intermediate vision.<\/p>\n<p>When a child begins school they begin to focus more intently on interacting with computers and reading books. As a result their eyes may become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/why-is-my-childs-myopia-worsening\/\">more myopic<\/a> (nearsighted) as a result of coping with the amount of close-vision that is required.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Progressive myopia<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-myopia-management\/can-your-child-benefit-from-myopia-management\/\">Progressive myopia<\/a> may impact school-age children as their myopia can continue to worsen throughout their years in school. As a result, every 6-12 months, their glasses prescriptions can change, often dramatically.<\/p>\n<p>As the eyes continue to grow, the progression in myopia continues to grow as long as well. As the eye grows, their prescription will naturally change as well.<\/p>\n<p>Progressive myopia increases the risk of serious sight-threatening eye diseases later in life.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Myopia management<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>For children with myopia, they will need prescription glasses. While in some children, myopia progression is gradual, in others it may progress quickly, resulting in higher levels of nearsightedness. Their eyeglass prescriptions need to be updated quickly.<\/p>\n<p>An eye doctor may suggest a treatment option known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/myopia-management\/\">Myopia Management<\/a>. This program includes a number of treatment options to try and slow the progression of your child\u2019s myopia. There are currently three types of treatment that can help control myopia.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Ortho-K\/Orthokeratology<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>A specialized custom-fit contact lens called Ortho-k gently reshape the cornea and decrease the rate of myopia progression<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>These contact lenses need to be worn overnight, while a child sleeps. The following morning your child can experience clear vision without any need for eyewear, due to the temporary change in the corneal shape.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Multifocal lenses\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Multifocal soft contact lenses offer clear vision at various focal distances.<\/p>\n<p><b>Scientific evidence has shown that wearing multifocal lenses limits the progression of myopia compared to single vision glasses or contact lenses.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><b>Atropine drops<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Atropine eye drops, most commonly used to dilate your pupils during certain eye exams have been found to slow the progression of myopia.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Recent research has shown that a low-dose (0.01%) of atropine eye drops can effectively impede the progression of myopia in children.<\/p>\n<p>The eye drops are meant to be applied at bedtime &#8211; over an extended period of time &#8211; to reduce myopia progression.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/\"><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-pediatric-eye-conditions\/\">Guide to Pediatric Eye Conditions<\/a><\/p>\n<p><i>If you are concerned about your child\u2019s myopia, contact an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">eye doctor near you<\/a> to schedule an appointment, they will provide you with information about which myopia management treatment your child will benefit from most.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you concerned your child\u2019s eyes are weakening? Why does this happen? Children&#8217;s eyes can weaken and lenses become stronger, but should I be concerned?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10129,"parent":1180,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[203,90,396,238,431,368],"class_list":["post-10128","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-atropine","tag-myopia","tag-myopia-management","tag-ortho-k","tag-retinal-detachment","tag-retinal-disease"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Are My Child\u2019s Eyes Weakening? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-pediatric-eye-conditions\/what-is-myopia-management\/why-are-my-childs-eyes-weakening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Are My Child\u2019s Eyes Weakening? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you concerned your child\u2019s eyes are weakening? 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