Total Myopia Program

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a common refractive error that affects lots of children. Myopia causes distant objects to appear blurry and our team screens for myopia in each child’s eye exam. At Total Vision Novato, formerly known as E. McCurdy O.D., we work with you and explore myopia control methods that can help your kids enjoy clear, healthy vision.

We are also thrilled to announce the “Total Myopia” program!

The Total Myopia medical professionals and their dedicated team employ modern technology to assess, care for, and develop tailored treatment strategies for every patient. These comprehensive strategies include:

Customized eye drops, soft multifocal contacts, and overnight lenses
A systematic approach with scheduled follow-up appointments to help sustain eye health through consistent medical oversight and management
Assessments aligned with the individualized treatment plan for each patient
Thorough training on the proper usage, insertion, and removal of contact lenses
An ongoing maintenance regimen for effective myopia control, with a focus on achieving lasting results

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Myopia Affects Children Across the Country

Throughout their life, your child is going to rely on their vision to help them learn, play, and experience the world around them. However, one of the most common vision problems children face today is myopia, otherwise known as nearsightedness.

Myopia makes it difficult to see distances clearly, which is a skill they depend on for various activities like reading from a whiteboard or playing sports. Myopia can also progress over time and could increase the risk of developing more serious vision problems.

By visiting Dr. McCurdy and his team, your child will find personalized strategies to help preserve their visual clarity and possibly reduce the effect myopia can have on their quality of life. Their journey starts when you book their appointment.

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How Does Myopia Develop?

Myopia is a refractive error that usually develops during the school years. Your child could have a higher risk of developing myopia if they have a family history of the condition or spend too much time indoors and not using their distance vision.

As they grow up, your child’s eye can elongate or their cornea can become too steep. Light entering the eye then has difficulty focusing properly on their retina, leading to vision problems. In most cases, prescription glasses and contacts can correct blurry vision, but myopia could still progress as your child reaches adulthood.

High myopia, an advanced version of the condition, can increase the risk of several eye problems, including some that could permanently affect your child’s vision. Myopia control strategies could help reduce the risk of developing these problems.

High Myopia Problems

Cataracts

Although children don’t typically develop cataracts, high myopia could make it 17% more likely that they will need cataract surgery later on in life.

Cataracts affect the clarity of your child’s crystalline lens. Please visit our Adults & Senior Eye Exam page to learn more about this condition and how it may develop.

Open-Angle Glaucoma

Open-angle glaucoma is an eye disease that affects the optic nerve, sometimes leading to permanent vision loss.

High myopia can raise the risk of developing open-angle glaucoma by 50%. Please visit our Eye Disease Diagnosis & Management page to learn more about glaucoma and how it may develop.

Retinal Detachment

High myopia can make retinal detachments 5 to 6 times more likely.

If the eye elongates too much, it could tear the retina and cause it to detach from the back of your eye. Retinal detachment is an emergency issue, and it could cause sudden symptoms like flashes, floaters, and permanent vision loss.

Management Strategies

Atropine Eye Drops

Low-dose atropine eye drops are known to help slow myopia progression in children. We’ll book a series of follow-up appointments to monitor their treatment and ensure it helps reduce the rate of myopia progression.

Peripheral Defocus Contact Lenses

Peripheral defocus contact lenses use a unique lens technology to help manage myopia progression.

These lenses focus light just past your child’s peripheral retina, which has been shown to slow down how quickly the eye elongates over time.

Orthokeratology

Orthokeratology can help manage myopia progression while providing your child with clear vision without the constant need for contacts or eyeglasses.

If participating in orthokeratology, your child wears special contact lenses while they sleep. During the night, these lenses gently reshape your child’s cornea to correct their refractive error. When they wake up, they can remove their lenses and enjoy clear vision throughout the day.

Regularly wearing orthokeratology lenses has also been shown to reduce myopia progression in children.

Set Your Child’s Sights on Clarity

We’re dedicated to helping you find meaningful ways to support your child’s eye development and visual clarity. By booking them in for an appointment, you can help your child get a head start on preserving their vision for the rest of their life.

Give our team a call today.

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