Existing Myopia Treatments - How Effective Are They?

The question though is how effective are the existing treatments for myopia?

Truth be told, the long term effects are minimal as the condition is degenerative by nature.

The main focus of treatments is strictly vision correction as the disease progresses.

Typically, myopia is a condition that is caused by the shape of the eyeball being longer than usual from front to back. This causes a loss of focus on objects that are far away and they seem fuzzy or distorted. At times, there may be an increase in pressure within the eye and this can cause other problems.

Medicinal Therapy As Myopia Treatment

Some types of myopia are treatable with medications that reduce the internal pressure of the eye. This is most common with transient myopia that has been brought on by other prescription medications.

Transient myopia is a temporary condition that is best cared for by discontinuing the causal drugs and monitoring the vision symptoms along the way.

Types of myopia that are hereditary and not transient are treatable by a variety of means. Some of these are medicinal in nature and have positive immediate effects on the vision.

When I was a kid I got atropine treatment twice a year and it really did stop the progress of myopia for some time. However, the treatment had very unpleasant side effects such as intolerance of daylight and blurry close-up vision.

According to new research done on 400 children in Singapore, atropine eye drops may slow the progression of myopia in children.

Dr. Sydney Spiesel of the Yale Medical School gave his opinion on this study during an interview on National Public Radio:

"Well, it's a great study. They took 400 kids and they divided them into two groups. One group got these eye drops only in one eye, and the other group got eye drops that didn't have the active ingredient in only - in one eye. And they just tracked them over two years, actually. It was a two-year period. And at the end of the two years, the kids who got the eye drops containing the active ingredient - which is atropine - they had no progression, no progression at all of their nearsightedness.

And the kids who got the placebo eye drops - or had no eye drops at all in the other eye - it did progress very considerably. Their nearsightedness did progress."

But up to now it's still unclear what happens to the eyes when you stop using atropine drops. New research has to be done to answer the remaining questions about myopia treatments.

What's Left? - Eyeglasses, Contact Lenses And Surgery

By far the most common myopia treatment is the use of corrective prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses that alter the way light is received and processed by the eye.

Again, the effect is simply a correction of the vision and can't slow the degeneration that myopia is known for.

In some cases, you could consider surgical procedures like:

• LASIK
• LASEK
• PRK
• corneal ring implants
• or Phakic intraocular lenses.

These all have aspects that need consideration before jumping in.

For instance, PRK is the removal of a layer of corneal tissue. This does result in some tissue damage that cannot be reversed, hence the risks are greater.

LASIK is similar but less invasive as a flap is made in the top of the cornea and some tissue is removed, then the flap is replaced.

Intraocular lens implants are contact lenses that are placed inside the eye and are permanent. The use of IOLs is a new one that has had positive reports but the long term effects are not known at this time. More research is being done on this.

What kind of myopia treatment do YOU have experience with? Here you can share your myopia story with others:

Share Your Own Myopia Story!

Things To Consider When Opting For Surgery

If your ophthalmologist suggests a surgical procedure, you need to take a few things into consideration, like:

• You might still need glasses after the surgery, but it is possible you may not be able to wear contacts anymore.

• The long-term risks and effects of eye surgery are relatively unknown at present.

• Complications are always on the board. Infections, side effects and such are possible, but those that threaten the vision are somewhat rare.

• The availability of skilled surgeons may vary in different areas of the country.

• The procedures and subsequent care is not cheap by any means.

Talk with your doctor and ask questions. He/she will be able to give you the answers you need to make an informed decision. Always arm yourself with the most relevant information and together with your eye doctor, make an informed decision.



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