Dr Fry is the owner of Premier Eyecare and has
been fitting specialty contact lenses for over twenty
years. He has been a speaker for Bausch & Lomb and
Synergeyes and currently speaks for Cooper Vision.
HOLIDAY/WINTER 2020 FARRAGUT LIFE 57
Another method of myopia control is
wearing daytime bi-focal contact lenses
with a special design. A center-distance
bi-focal design focuses light on the
retinas in such a way as to slow down the
stimulation for growth of the length of
the eyes. By suppressing the growth of
the length of the eyes, these lenses have
shown to reduce myopia progression in
children. As the eyes stop growing, those
who have worn this type of lens will
have less myopia than if they had worn
traditional single vision glasses or
contact lenses.
Atropine drops can also be prescribed to
slow down myopia progression, but unlike
CRT, daytime glasses or contact lenses are
required to see clearly at distance. When I
council parents on the different methods of
myopia control, I discuss all of the options
available as well as recommended lifestyle
changes which have shown to help reduce
myopia during the growing years. Studies
have shown that getting outside a few hours
per day will play a large role in controlling
myopia progression. Electronic devices are
keeping our children indoors more. Also,
these hand-held electronic devices require
the eyes to focus up close which can lead to
eyestrain and headaches. Due to how the
eyes focus at near, this can overstimulate
the eyes to grow in length, leading to higher
myopia in adulthood.
If you are a parent concerned about your
child’s eyes and want to discuss all of the
options available to provide excellent vision
now, and in the future, then we encourage
you to call Premier Eyecare to schedule an
appointment. 865.966.0100