Myopia Management for Children: Your Questions Answered

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Specialty Pediatric Myopia Care at Motiveyes Eye Care | Plano, Texas

If your child was recently diagnosed with nearsightedness — or if their prescription keeps changing every year — myopia management may be the most important conversation you have with their eye doctor.

— Understanding Myopia (Nearsightedness) —

Q: What is myopia, and why does it keep getting worse?

Myopia, commonly called nearsightedness, is a condition where the eye grows too long — front to back — causing distant objects to appear blurry while close objects remain clear. It is not simply a refractive error to be corrected with glasses; myopia is a structural change in the eye itself.

In children, the eye is still growing, and myopia tends to progress — sometimes rapidly — throughout the school years. Each time the prescription increases, it reflects additional elongation of the eyeball. This is important because higher myopia carries significantly elevated lifetime risks of serious conditions including retinal detachment, glaucoma, myopic maculopathy, and cataracts — even after the prescription stabilizes in adulthood.

Myopia management is the field of eye care specifically focused on slowing this progression while the eye is still growing.

Q: How common is myopia in children in North Texas?

Myopia is now one of the fastest-growing pediatric health concerns in the world. In the United States, myopia prevalence has roughly doubled over the past 40 years and continues to rise. In Plano and Collin County — a region with highly educated, screen-engaged families and competitive academic environments — rates of childhood myopia are consistent with or above national trends.

Risk factors beyond genetics include significant near-work (reading, devices, studying), limited time spent outdoors, and early age of onset. A child who becomes myopic before age 8 is at much higher risk of high myopia by adulthood than one who first develops it at age 13.

Q: My child just got their first pair of glasses for nearsightedness. Is that the same as having myopia?

Yes. A glasses or contact lens prescription with a minus sign (-) indicates myopia. Standard glasses and contact lenses correct the blurry vision, but they do not slow the progression of myopia — the eye continues to grow, and the prescription typically increases each year.

This is exactly why myopia management is worth discussing as soon as myopia is diagnosed, particularly in younger children. The earlier treatment begins, the greater the opportunity to slow progression during the years when the eye is most actively developing.

Q: At what age should my child start myopia management?

Myopia management is typically most effective when started early — often between ages 6 and 12, when progression is typically fastest. However, children up to age 17 or 18 may still benefit, as the eye does not usually stabilize until the late teens or early twenties.

If your child has been diagnosed with myopia, or if you have a family history of myopia and your child is approaching school age, a consultation at Motiveyes is a worthwhile step. Dr. Mina will assess your child's prescription, the rate of change from prior records if available, and their risk profile to determine whether and when to begin treatment.

— Myopia Management Treatments at Motiveyes —

Q: What myopia management options does Motiveyes offer?

At Motiveyes, Dr. Mina offers three evidence-based myopia management treatments: low-dose atropine eye drops, MiSight daily contact lenses, and Stellest spectacle lenses. Each has a strong clinical evidence base and is suitable for different children depending on age, prescription, lifestyle, and family preferences.

Dr. Mina will discuss all three options in detail during your consultation and help you and your child determine the best fit. In some cases, a combination approach may be recommended.

Q: What is low-dose atropine, and how does it work?

Low-dose atropine is a prescription eye drop — typically compounded at concentrations of 0.01% to 0.05% — applied to each eye once daily, usually at bedtime. Atropine is a well-established medication with decades of use in ophthalmology. At these very low doses, it has been shown in multiple large clinical trials to slow myopia progression significantly, with the 0.05% concentration currently showing the best balance of efficacy and tolerability.

The drops work by acting on receptors in the eye that are involved in the signaling pathway that drives excessive eye growth. At low doses, they do not cause the significant pupil dilation or near-vision blur associated with higher concentrations, making them practical for everyday use.

Low-dose atropine is a good option for children who are not yet ready for contact lenses, or who are progressing rapidly and may benefit from combining drops with a contact lens or spectacle-based treatment.

Q: What are MiSight contact lenses, and are they safe for children?

MiSight 1 day are daily disposable soft contact lenses specifically designed and FDA-approved for myopia management in children ages 8–12 (though used off-label in older children as well). They are the first soft contact lens to receive FDA approval for slowing myopia progression.

MiSight uses a dual-focus optical design: the central zone corrects vision clearly, while peripheral zones create a defocus signal that research shows slows the stimulus for axial eye growth. In clinical trials, children wearing MiSight showed approximately 59% slower myopia progression compared to standard single-vision contact lenses.*¹

Contact lenses for children are safe and effective when properly fitted and used as directed. Studies show that children as young as 8 can successfully manage daily contact lens wear with appropriate training. Dr. Mina provides thorough lens training and follow-up care to ensure your child is confident and safe.

Q: What are Stellest lenses, and how are they different from regular glasses?

Stellest are spectacle lenses developed by Essilor that contain a constellation of small lenslets embedded in the lens surface. These lenslets create a volume of defocus signal in front of the peripheral retina, which clinical studies have shown can slow myopia progression significantly — in the pivotal trial, children who wore Stellest lenses full-time (at least 12 hours per day) achieved a 67% reduction in myopia progression and 60% reduction in axial elongation compared to standard single-vision lenses.*²

Unlike standard glasses, which simply correct vision without influencing eye growth, Stellest lenses are doing active myopia management every hour your child wears them. They look and feel like regular glasses and can be made with most standard frame styles.

Stellest is an excellent option for children who are not yet comfortable with contact lenses, or for families who prefer a glasses-based approach.

Q: How does Dr. Mina decide which treatment is right for my child?

Dr. Mina considers several factors: your child's age and current prescription, the rate of progression based on prior records, your child's comfort with contact lens wear, lifestyle and activity level, and your family's preferences and budget.

In general, younger children or those not ready for contacts may start with low-dose atropine or Stellest lenses. Children who are ready for contacts and whose parents prefer a contact lens approach often do well with MiSight. Some children benefit from combination therapy — for example, low-dose atropine combined with MiSight — for maximum efficacy.

There is no single right answer for every child, which is why a personalized consultation is essential.

— Cost, Insurance & What to Expect —

Q: Does insurance cover myopia management?

Myopia management is not consistently covered by standard vision insurance plans, as it is considered a specialty service that goes beyond routine prescription correction. However, coverage is evolving, and some plans do provide partial benefits.

Vision benefits may apply toward your child's annual exam and frames or standard contact lens allowances. Low-dose atropine, being a prescription medication, may have some pharmacy benefit coverage depending on your plan. MiSight lenses may also receive a partial contact lens allowance.

Motiveyes will be transparent about all costs upfront before treatment begins, and we are happy to discuss options that work within your budget. It is also worth noting that myopia management treatments are generally approved for use with Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). Some families find that the long-term investment in myopia management is offset by reduced prescription changes, fewer lens upgrades, and — most importantly — reduced lifetime risk of serious eye disease.

Q: How long does myopia management treatment last?

Myopia management is typically continued until the prescription stabilizes — usually in the late teens or early twenties. This is not a short-term treatment; it is an ongoing part of your child's eye care throughout their school years.

Annual follow-up visits are typically required to monitor axial length, prescription changes, and treatment efficacy. If the treatment is not slowing progression adequately, Dr. Mina will discuss adjusting the approach. Regular check-ins ensure your child is always on the most effective protocol for their current stage of development.

Q: Why choose Motiveyes for my child's myopia management instead of a regular eye doctor?

Myopia management is a specialty service — and like all specialty care, outcomes depend heavily on expertise and access to the right treatments. Dr. Mina focuses specifically on myopia management and dry eye as her two core clinical areas of expertise at Motiveyes. She is trained in all current evidence-based treatment modalities and follows the latest clinical research to keep her protocols current.

Families travel to our Plano office from Frisco, Allen, McKinney, The Colony, Arlington, Keller, and throughout the DFW Metroplex because they want specialty-level care for their child's vision — not a referral to a general clinic. If your child's myopia is progressing, or if you simply want to be proactive, we'd love to be your partner in protecting their long-term vision.

Q: My child is worried about wearing contact lenses. What should I tell them?

It's completely normal for kids to be nervous about contact lenses at first — and completely normal for them to become confident, capable lens wearers within a short time. At Motiveyes, we take the lens training process seriously. Dr. Mina and her team walk every child through proper insertion, removal, and care techniques at a pace that builds confidence without pressure.

​​​​​​​MiSight daily lenses are single-use, which means there's no cleaning or overnight storage to worry about — just fresh lenses each morning. Many children are surprised by how quickly they adapt. We also remain available for questions and check-ins between appointments as your child gets comfortable with their lenses.

Clinical References

*¹ Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight 1 day lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019;96(8):556–567. doi:10.1097/OPX.0000000000001410. Available at: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31343513

*² Bao J, et al. Spectacle lenses with aspherical lenslets for myopia control vs single-vision spectacle lenses: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2022;140(5):472–478. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.0150. Available at: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8972151

Motiveyes Eye Care | (469) 656-8361 | www.motiveyes.com

Serving the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex