New Vision Optometry
Burbank
Four ways to slow nearsightedness in children, with Dr. Nguyen leading myopia management.
Commonly referred to as nearsightedness, myopia is a condition that causes your distance vision to be blurry while you are still able to see clearly up close.
"Myopia control aims to slow down the progression of myopia at a young age, in order to prevent the development of very high myopia."
We no longer have to wait and see what will happen with the progression of a child's myopia. We can take action to decrease the likelihood of it progressing.
If your child's eyesight is a worry, tell us at their next exam and we will talk it through with you.
Which one suits your child depends on their age, their prescription and how they live. We will go through all four with you.
Specially designed and fitted contact lenses temporarily reshape the cornea to improve vision. It is like orthodontics for your eyes, and the treatment is often compared to dental braces. The lenses are worn at night and taken out in the morning.
A soft one day contact lens that corrects nearsightedness and slows the progression of myopia in children. It is worn through the day rather than overnight.
The third option is a drop rather than a lens. Atropine, used once a day.
The fourth option is a pair of glasses. Stellest lenses by Essilor look like ordinary spectacle lenses, and a ring of tiny lenslets across each lens is designed to slow the elongation of the eye that drives myopia. For a child who is not ready for a contact lens or a drop, it is the simplest place to start.
Two of the four are contact lens fittings, and contact lens visits are booked by phone here rather than through the online scheduler. Stellest is a spectacle lens, fitted in the optical.
Orthokeratology, or ortho-k, is the process of reshaping the eye with specially designed rigid gas permeable contact lenses. We also call it corneal remodeling therapy.
Ortho-k technology has been around for over forty years. It is only within the past ten years that the technology has caught up, and customized lenses now fit a much broader range of patients than they used to.
Dr. Long Nguyen leads myopia management here. He focuses on fitting specialty contact lenses for irregular corneas, including those following corneal grafts, and he works with pediatric patients, seeing children as young as six months old.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Vision Science and a Doctorate in Optometry from the New England College of Optometry, and in 2017 he became board certified by the American Board of Optometry.
His goal is to change lives by diagnosing and treating vision issues, particularly in children who are misdiagnosed with learning disabilities because of uncorrected vision problems.
Online scheduling is for routine appointments. Please call the office for medical appointments and contact lens checks.
If your child has never been examined here, a routine eye exam is the right place to begin, and you can book that one online.