From the Guidelines
Myopia treatment options include both corrective and preventive approaches, with the most effective interventions for slowing progression being antimuscarinic agents, such as atropine, and specialized multifocal contact lenses, as well as increased outdoor time for children. The most common treatment is corrective eyewear, including glasses and contact lenses prescribed with negative diopter measurements to compensate for the refractive error 1. Refractive surgery offers a more permanent solution, with LASIK being the most popular procedure where a laser reshapes the cornea to correct vision, typically taking 15-30 minutes with recovery within days. PRK and SMILE are alternative surgical options for those who may not qualify for LASIK. Orthokeratology involves wearing rigid contact lenses overnight to temporarily reshape the cornea, providing clear vision during the day without corrective lenses. For children with progressive myopia, atropine eye drops (typically 0.01% to 0.05% concentration used daily) can slow progression by relaxing focusing muscles and affecting biochemical pathways in the eye 1. Other interventions include specialized multifocal contact lenses and increased outdoor time (at least 2 hours daily) for children, as natural light exposure appears to reduce myopia development 1.
Some key points to consider when treating myopia include:
- The importance of correcting refractive errors to improve visual acuity, visual function, and visual comfort 1
- The potential benefits of antimuscarinic agents, such as atropine, in slowing myopia progression 1
- The role of specialized multifocal contact lenses in reducing myopia progression 1
- The impact of increased outdoor time on reducing myopia development in children 1
- The need to consider age, myopia severity, lifestyle needs, and whether the goal is correction or preventing progression in younger patients when selecting a treatment option.
Overall, the best treatment for myopia depends on a variety of factors, including the patient's age, lifestyle, and the severity of their myopia, and a comprehensive treatment plan should be developed in consultation with an eye care professional.
From the Research
Treatment Options for Myopia
The treatment options for myopia (nearsightedness) include:
- Glasses and contact lenses to correct vision temporarily 2
- Laser vision correction, such as photorefractive keratectomy and laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, to permanently correct myopia 2
- Small-incision lenticule extraction, a more recently developed procedure for myopia correction 2
- Orthokeratology, a nonsurgical procedure that involves wearing a special contact lens overnight to reshape the cornea 3
- Atropine ophthalmic drops, which have been shown to be effective in slowing the progression of myopia, particularly in children 4, 5
Myopia Control Contact Lenses
Myopia control contact lenses, such as multifocal soft contact lenses and extended depth of focus soft contact lenses, have been found to be effective in slowing the progression of myopia 6
- These lenses work by reducing hyperopic blur and/or imposing myopic defocus on the retina
- The use of soft contact lenses as a platform for myopia control offers an exciting and effective avenue to manage myopia, but further research is needed to understand the mechanism underlying control of myopia and to improve efficacy with lenses 6
Surgical Procedures
Surgical procedures, such as refractive keratoplasty, have been used to correct myopia 3
- These procedures include keratomileusis, epikeratophakia, and radial keratotomy
- Radial keratotomy is currently the most often performed method for the correction of myopia, but it has its own set of problems and risks 3
Prevention of Progression
Several strategies have been reported to be effective in preventing the progression of myopia, including: