Welcome back to Eyecare Insights with Dr. Kyle Tate, your Jenks Eye Doctor. Today we exploring our series about myopia control. We’ve already covered the definition of myopia, who gets it, when they get it and what the risks are. Now we’re discussing what methods are used for myopia control. Last time we focused on low-dose atropine .01%, using it every morning. Today we’re going to focus on distant center multifocal daily replacement contacts and CRT contacts that are designed to be slept in versus worn in the day. Some of these technologies have been around for 10 or 15 years; some of these technologies are brand-new, and we are proud to bring them to you as your Jenks Eye Doctor. Remember, Insight Eyecare is located off the Creek Turnpike and 121st St. near the Glenpool IHOP. We offer an amazing facility that includes an eyeglasses boutique with over 1000 options available to you. Insight Eyecare focuses on giving the most up-to-date, complete medical care for your eyes available, as well as partnering with some the finest glasses labs and contact lens companies to bring you the best vision possible for your entire life. Our team Insight Eyecare wants to be your Jenks eye doctor for all your eyecare and your eyewear needs.
In the last article we briefly discussed three different methods we can use for myopia control. The second method is a certain type of soft contact lens. Soft contacts were originally invented in the 1970s and became more and more popular over the decades since then. The technology changes with soft contacts have been quite immense, especially over the last 5 to 10 years. We have contacts that get more oxygen to the eyes than ever before. This allows the eyes to be safer, healthier, and the contacts can be worn more comfortably. Originally soft contacts had to be taken out every single night. If you slept in them one time you would have some serious issues. Today with the newer materials there is more grace if you take a nap or accidentally sleep in them overnight. As your Jenks eye doctor we understand accidents happen and we want the safest and newest technology for your eyes. The next evolution is our topic today. Contacts went from being considered a monthly – where you take them out every night, scrub and clean them, replace the solution, soak the contacts overnight, and then rinse and use them the next day – to daily contacts. As you can see, monthly contacts can get quite cumbersome and you would use a lot of contact solution to properly care for the lenses. Daily replacement contacts are contacts that you open a fresh sterile pair and wear them for just that day and then they get replaced. Daily replacement contacts did not fit into myopia control until recently. For myopia control to work with a soft contact you need a contact that adjusts the focus differently for the outer part of the retina versus the center part which has the macula in it. These are called center distance contacts. In the next podcast we will discuss how this works. The important thing to know right now is that until recently we only had one company that made a monthly replacement contact that could be used for myopia control.
It is exciting that we now have a daily option. For the last 10 years eye doctors have been promoting and prescribing daily replacement contacts for all patients. This is especially important in the teenage population who is still learning how to take care of themselves, why hygiene is important for health, and learning how to build a routine every day. Before myopia control we’ve discussed with our patients why your eyes are safer and healthier with daily replacement contacts. We will not go into that detail here because we will touch on that in other podcasts. As your Jenks eye doctor I want you to know that if you’re interested in myopia control, we have a daily replacement contact that is not only cost-effective but is also safer and healthier. This is incredibly exciting for us to be your Jenks eye doctor that can offer such wonderful technology.
Next we’re going to touch on CRT lenses; however, we are only going to mildly discuss these because we could write many articles about the technology in the process of these. Today I want to give a very brief overview of what they are, how they are used, and why they are so wonderful. CRT stands for corneal reshaping technologies, although some companies will call it corneal refractive therapy. These were started by the Paragon contact lens company in the early 2000’s. They are basically a very specific type of hard contact that you can see clearly in but they are made to be worn at night and not during the day. That’s right; these contacts are designed to only be slept in. How they work is pretty simple and amazing. They apply a slight bit of downforce to the surface of the cornea which causes the curvature of the cornea, which is the front of the eye, to flatten. When worn every single night this flattening holds out all through the day. So patients who sleep in these contacts at night can have healthy eyes and not need any glasses or contacts during the day. Since we are focusing on myopia control, and the treatment age for this is a teenager, let’s discuss why these contacts can be great for teenagers. Imagine someone who sleeps more than any other age group above a baby. This person needs to wake up and get ready to go to their job, a.k.a. school. Remember, as a teenager in the school years, patients are judged on how they look and are usually quite involved with different activities. Some sports activities can be difficult with glasses or nearly impossible. We even have some difficulties with soft contacts. These contacts are very beneficial for track runners due to the wind in their face, any type of dance, gymnastics, or cheer where the patients could be moving a lot, swimmers, and many others. The other benefit is once these contacts are fit there is no need for any type of backup glasses or contacts on a daily basis. Even though these contacts are expensive to fit they can actually be economical over time. Your Jenks Eye Doctor at Insight Eye Care is very excited to offer this option to our patients interested in myopia control or getting some freedom from their soft contacts.
In the next podcast we will discuss how the myopia control methods work. As you now know these three different methods impose little inconvenience in life. The time and financial costs of myopia control are definitely less burdensome on life compared to someone who has high myopia. That consideration is further enforced when you start thinking about the disease risks increasing with high myopia. At Insight Eyecare, your Jenks eye doctor, our mission is to improve every life at every encounter. It would be our pleasure to assist all of our patients, their families and friends in preventing nearsightedness progression. We feel it’s important to remember that spending time away from screens and outside is also important in preventing myopia progression; however, by definition that cannot be a treatment option. Now that you are aware, it is your responsibility to talk to your friends and family who have myopia – especially if there are teenagers that have it – about the risks and the treatments they can benefit from. Your Jenks eye doctor at Insight Eyecare treats all types of diseases even beyond myopia, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes eye exams, cataracts, and many others. Please let us know how we may improve your life. God bless you guys and have a great day!
