80%
OF LEARNING
IS VISUAL

~50% of the worlds population will be myopic by 2050 (that's ~4.8 billion people) REF 1
1 in 2 children worldwide will be nearsighted REF 2
Early myopia treatment can help slow it down REF 3

With the early and heavy use of digital screens, children are developing myopia at a much younger age—but EARLY TREATMENT can decrease the damage caused by myopia.

CLEAR VISION MATTERS. EYE CARE MATTERS.

A Message From Your Doctor

What Is Myopia? (Nearsightedness)

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a condition where the eye is too long, causing distant objects to appear blurry. It typically begins in childhood and tends to worsen each year, especially between the ages of 6 and 17.

As myopia progresses, so does the risk of serious eye diseases later in life. High myopia is associated with a higher risk of retinal detachment, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and other long-term vision issues.

Protect Your Child’s Vision With Myopia Management

Specialized myopia control glasses and contact lenses have been developed to control the progression of this refractive error. Our goal is to ensure that your children grow up with a lower prescription, and reduce the risk of long term vision issues.

Schedule An Eye Exam Today

South Coast Optometry

949 South Coast Drive, Suite 155
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Phone: 714-540-2020

Hours:

Mon: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tue: Closed
Wed: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thu: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Fri: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sat: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sun: Closed

We are closed during our lunch time (Mon-Fri 1:00-2:00pm; Sat 12:30-1:00pm) to allow us to nourish our bodies.

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Protect Your Child’s Vision With Myopia Management

Request an Appointment

young girl with eyeglasses reading on the bed

Signs Of Myopia In Children

Is your child:

Squinting
Holding objects close to their face
Complaining about headaches

Signs Of Myopia

Our Myopia Solutions

Glasses

Eye Drops

Contact Lenses

Myopia Solutions

See The Data On Myopia

Myopia affects about

5% of preschoolers
9% of school aged children
30% of teens

Myopia Data

Warning Signs Of Myopia In Children:

Squinting to see distant objects
Sitting too close to the TV
Holding book or screens very close to their face
Frequent headaches or eye rubbing
Difficulty seeing the board at school
Trouble seeing clearly (or well) during sport activities

Early detection and monitoring eye health through annual exams is critical to a clear and healthy future.

A brighter future starts with myopia management now!

Other Ways To Keep Your Child's Eyes Healthy:

Limit screen time to 2 hours per day

Encourage 60–80 min. of daily outdoor play

Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds

Eyeglasses, contact lenses, drops & lifestyle changes

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Personalized Myopia Solutions at Professional Eyecare Solutions

Myopia Control Glasses - Essilor® Stellest® lenses

The Stellest® lenses, often our first choice in myopia treatment, are specifically designed to slow the progressions of myopia in children. Wearing Stellest® lenses for 10 consecutive hours daily reduces changes in nearsightedness by actually slowing the growth of the eyeball.

Stellest® lenses provide the child with detailed distance vision but reduce the strain of focusing by employing a process called "peripheral defocus."

ADDITIONAL LENS DETAILS:

Non- Invasive, easy to wear
Corrects myopia with single vision zone to ensure sharp
vision
Essilor® Stellest® lenses are the first and only FDA market
authorized to slow myopia progression in children.

MiSight® Contact Lenses

These innovative soft contact lenses feature two specialized zones that provide clear 20/20 vision while defocusing peripheral light to help slow the eye’s growth— a key factor in the progression of myopia.

ADDITIONAL LENS DETAILS:

Designed for daily wear; convenient, comfortable, and disposable
The only contact lenses FDA-approved to slow myopia progression
Can be prescribed for children as young as six years old

Atropine Drops

Low-concentration atropine drops have been shown to significantly slow the progression of near-sightedness by up to 50%. The drops cause minimal pupil dilation without affecting vision, which helps reduce focusing stress. Recent studies also indicate that these drops slow the elongation of the eye.

ADDITIONAL LENS DETAILS:

Typically used during a child’s growing years
Drops are applied to both eyes each night before bedtime
May be used as a supplemental therapy alongside other treatments

Ortho-k Contact Lenses

Ortho-Keratology (Ortho-k) contact lenses are gas-permeable lenses that gently reshape the cornea while your child sleeps, helping reduce their need for distance glasses. When the lenses are removed in the morning, their myopia is temporarily corrected.

ADDITIONAL LENS DETAILS:

Lenses must be worn every night to maintain effect and control myopia
If treatment is discontinued, the myopia will gradually return to its original level

The Data on Myopia in Children

DID YOU KNOW?

Myopia (nearsightedness) is when distant objects appear blurry.

~50% of the worlds population will be myopic by 2050 (that's ~4.8 billion people) 1 REF
Myopia affects about:
- 5% of preschoolers,
- 9% of school aged children, and
- 30% of teens. REF 4

Studies indicate over 50% of "learning problems" in school may be actually related to undiagnosed vision issues. REF 5
That means many children are not getting the vision care they need to do well in school.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared myopia a public health concern, urging early intervention.

Data derived from:
Blue Mountains Eye Study, 2002(>3500 patients), Beaver Dam Eye Study, 2001 (>5900 patients)
Rotterdam Eye Study, 2011 (>3900 patients), Summarized in ‘Flitcroft et al., 2012

Additional Resources

Myopia Information and Causes

More outdoor time may reduce the risk of myopia in children. So, it is critical to try to get your kids outside, especially if there is a family history of myopia. The Vision Development Childhood article by the American Academy of Ophthalmology summarizes some of the research on outdoor time and provides links to several studies.
The World Health Organization released a Vision Report in 2019 specifically calling out the increase in myopia globally as a significant public health issue requiring more resources to address.

Eye Health Risks Associated with Myopia

The Review of Myopia Management provides a helpful chart to understand your child’s risk of these sight-threatening eye diseases at different levels of myopia.
Retinal disease is the biggest concern associated with myopia. The National Library of Medicine shared a meta-analysis of numerous clinical studies and concluded that “The burden of myopic macular degeneration blindness and vision impairment will rise significantly without efforts to reduce the development and progression of myopia.”

Myopia Treatment Options

The Uhealth Collective article from Bascom Palmer Eye institute is a good overview of the effectiveness of myopia treatment options.
In the article, Contact Lenses Worn by Sleeping Children Can Prevent Short-Sightedness, Science Alert summarizes a UK study of children using custom overnight contact lenses to treat myopia.
This American Academy of Ophthalmology report summarizes results from using prescription eye drops to treat myopia in children. For younger children or those children whose myopia is progressing rapidly, this can be a good option to start treatment.

Clinical Studies and Papers on Myopia Treatments

The International Myopia Institute published clinical trial guidelines and results detailing studies of various myopia treatments. One important conclusion from this work is the importance of measuring axial length (the length of the eyeball from front to back) in treating pediatric myopia.

Data Point	Source
REF 1: ~50% of world myopic by 2050 (~5 billion)	Holden et al. 2016 [bhvi.org], [iapb.org]
REF 2: ~1-in-3 children already myopic today; ~1-in-2 teens by 2050	BJO meta‑analysis 2024 [medicalxpress.com], [ophthalmol…ngnews.com]
REF 3: Early treatments slow myopia (atropine, lenses, etc.)	AAO 2024 [aao.org]
REF 4: Myopia prevalence by age: 5% preschoolers, 9% children, 30% teens	HealthyChildren.org [healthychildren.org]
REF 5: 60% of “problem learners” have undiagnosed vision issues; 25–80% impact reading/school	Visual Learning & Vision Therapy Centers [vlca.com], [thevisiont…center.com]