Myopia Control in Kelowna | Rutland Optometry

Your Child’s Clarity Is Our Focus

If you think about it, your child uses their distant vision quite a lot in their lives. Whether they’re taking notes from the blackboard, seeing a sweeping blockbuster at a theatre, or simply watching the signs go by when you’re out for a drive, they rely on their sight being crisp and clear.

However, refractive errors can leave your child with blurry, unfocused vision, and one of the most common errors is myopia. Myopia is becoming more and more prevalent every year, but our team is ready to address these concerns with proven, comfortable, and safe strategies.

We’re ready to help your child find the clarity you deserve. Book a myopia control appointment for your child today.

Control Myopia Today

Shining A Light on Myopia

Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, is a refractive error that develops when your eye grows over time or if your cornea’s curvature becomes too steep. By changing the shape of your eye, myopia makes it difficult for light to focus correctly on your retina, leading to blurry vision. Without intervention, myopia could develop into high myopia, an issue that can increase the risk of developing an eye disease or causing retinal detachment.

Though there is no known cause, sources suggest that prolonged time spent indoors and genetics could increase the risk of developing myopia. Some doctors also believe that half of the entire world will have some degree of myopia by 2050.

How Myopia Affects Children

It’s important to our team at Rutland Optometry to detect myopia as early as possible. Myopia generally develops in school-aged children, and it could lead to learning-related and behavioural issues if it’s not corrected.

About 30% of adolescents have some degree of myopia, but it’s possible they might not know they have symptoms. You can look for certain signs like:

Excessive eye rubbing
Squinting
Sitting close to objects
Slipping grades at school

Children should have an eye exam a few times before starting school and annually after that to detect issues like myopia as early as possible. Teams like ours at Rutland Optometry will be happy to help your child manage their symptoms and enjoy their vision.

Our Management Techniques

We can help manage myopia progression in several ways, but the first step is always a comprehensive eye exam. If your child is struggling with blurry vision, an eye exam can help determine the cause and provide us with opportunities to help.

MiyoSmart Eyeglass Lenses

MiyoSmart eyeglass lenses use the same myopic defocus technique to slow down myopia progression. These lenses may be a great choice if your child isn’t comfortable wearing contact lenses yet.

MiyoSmart lenses have been shown to reduce myopia progression by 62% when compared to traditional lenses.

MiSight Contact Lenses

MiSight contact lenses are a specialty contact lens we can prescribe to help your child manage their myopia progression. Using a technique called myopic defocus, these contact lenses help focus light on the retina and slow your child’s eye elongation.

Studies have shown that MiSight contacts can reduce myopia progression by 59%.

Atropine Eye Drops

Eye drops with a low-dose concentration of atropine have been shown to slow myopia progression in children. After beginning treatment, we’ll monitor your child’s eyes through regular eye exam appointments.

We’re Local

Our office is conveniently located on Highway 33 in the heart of Rutland neighbourhood of Kelowna, just minutes from Highway 97. Find us inside Willow Park Mall, with ample parking just outside our doors. Come visit our eye doctors in Kelowna today!