Nearsightedness or “myopia” affects millions of young children. While nearsightedness is very common, the rate at which it advances during childhood influences not only how well your child sees now, but also their long-term eye health into adulthood. If your child’s glasses prescription has gotten stronger every year, they’re dealing with myopia progression. Myopia management is an eyecare treatment designed specifically to slow that progression. See You Eyecare in Lake Nona offers two clinically validated options for pediatric myopia: MiSight® 1 day contact lenses and Essilor® Stellest® spectacle lenses (glasses).
What Is Myopia Management?
Myopia management refers to treatments that slow the rate at which a child’s nearsightedness worsens over time. Standard glasses and single-vision contact lenses correct the blur from myopia and allow children to see clearly in their current state, but these lenses do not address the underlying process — the continued elongation of the eye — that drives the prescription higher each year.
Why “Myopia Management” is Different From a Prescription Update
A standard prescription update gives your child clear vision today. Myopia management changes what happens to their vision tomorrow. The goal is to slow the rate of eye elongation during the years when myopia progresses fastest, so that by the time their eyes stabilize in their late teens or early twenties, they carry a lower final prescription than they would have reached without intervention.
Who Needs It And When To Start
Myopia management is most effective when started early, typically between ages 6 and 12, when the eye is still growing and progression tends to be steepest. Children whose prescription has increased by 0.50 diopters or more in a single year, or who are already in the moderate myopia range (−3.00 to −6.00 diopters), are typically the strongest candidates for myopia management. Dr. Sohini Patel, OD will assess your child’s prescription trend and eye structure at their appointment to determine whether myopia control treatment is appropriate.
What Happens When Childhood Myopia Goes Unmanaged
Most myopic children don’t have a stable nearsighted prescription. Their eyes are growing, and myopic eyes tend to grow longer than they should, which is what pulls focus in front of the retina and causes the blur. That growth process, and the resulting prescription increase, typically continues through childhood and adolescence.
Long-Term Eye Health Risks From High Myopia
Higher final myopia is associated with higher lifetime risk of serious eye conditions, including retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and early-onset cataracts. These risks increase significantly as the prescription moves into higher ranges (above −5.00 or −6.00 diopters). Slowing the progression of myopia during childhood reduces the likelihood of reaching those higher ranges, which is why myopia management is considered a medical investment in long-term vision, not just an alternative to glasses.
MiSight® 1 Day Contact Lenses
MiSight 1 day, developed by CooperVision, is the first FDA-cleared daily disposable contact lens specifically designed for myopia control in children. See You Eyecare offers MiSight as part of its myopia management program.
How MiSight Works
MiSight uses a dual-focus optical design. The central zone of the lens corrects your child’s current distance prescription, providing clear vision throughout the day. The surrounding zones create a specific pattern where light focuses slightly in front of the peripheral retina — rather than behind it, as with standard lenses. Optometrists call this “peripheral defocus”: a signal that appears to slow the eye elongation process that drives myopia progression.
What The Clinical Studies Show
The pivotal clinical study of MiSight followed children ages 8 to 12 over three years. Children in the study who wore MiSight experienced, on average, 59% less myopia progression compared to children wearing standard single-vision contact lenses (Chamberlain et al., BCLA 2019). The lens has been studied extensively and is cleared by the FDA for myopia control in children.
Who Is A Good Candidate
MiSight is designed for children who are motivated and mature enough to handle contact lenses — typically age 8 and older, though readiness varies by child. Daily disposables eliminate the lens cleaning routine, which makes them practical for kids and reassuring for parents. Dr. Patel will assess whether your child is a good contact lens candidate at their appointment.
Stellest® Lenses By Essilor®
Stellest® is a spectacle lens (worn just like ordinary eyeglasses) and developed by Essilor using H.A.L.T. technology (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target). See You Eyecare offers Stellest as a myopia management option, and it represents a genuine differentiator in the Lake Nona market: while most local eye doctors promote MiSight, Stellest is less widely offered and presents an additional treatment option for families who prefer an alternative to contacts.
How Stellest Works Differently From MiSight
Stellest lenses use hundreds of precisely shaped zones distributed across the lens surface, surrounding the central correction zone. (Essilor calls this a constellation of 1,021 aspherical lenslets — a highly precise design with clinical significance.) These zones create a volume of light focus in front of the retina, generating a signal that slows eye growth. The principle is similar to MiSight’s approach, but it is achieved through a spectacle lens rather than a contact lens. The child simply wears Stellest as they would regular glasses.
Clinical Results
A two-year clinical study of Stellest in children ages 6 to 12 found that children wearing Stellest for 12 or more hours per day experienced an average of 67% reduction in myopia progression compared to children wearing standard single-vision spectacle lenses (Bao et al., British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2022). Consistent wear — specifically the 12-hour minimum — is important for achieving those results.
Why See You Eyecare Offers Stellest When Most Local Competitors Don’t
Dr. Patel at See You Eyecare offers both MiSight and Stellest so that she can match the right treatment to your child’s situation. For children who are not yet ready for contact lenses, who don’t tolerate them well, or whose parents prefer glasses, Stellest is a clinically validated option that produces comparable or better results than MiSight in published studies.
MiSight vs. Stellest: Helping Parents Decide
The practical decision between MiSight and Stellest usually comes down to one question: contacts or glasses?
Contacts vs. Glasses and What Fits Your Child’s Lifestyle
Choosing between MiSight and Stellest is primarily a matter of what fits your child’s lifestyle. Both are worn during normal waking hours, and neither involves eye drops, surgery, or any modification to the eye itself. MiSight requires your child to comfortably wear and remove contact lenses each day. As daily disposables they do not require cleaning, which is a major advantage for children’s eyewear. But some children are not yet ready for contact lenses, and that’s a real constraint. Stellest is worn like any pair of glasses, which makes it accessible for younger children or those who prefer not to wear contacts.
How Dr. Patel Assesses Readiness For Treatment
Dr. Patel will evaluate your child’s current prescription, the rate of myopia progression over recent visits, their age, and their interest and maturity around contact lenses. She’ll also consider whether the shape of the eye, the prescription range, and any other factors point toward one option over the other. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment; her recommendation will be specific to your child.
What To Expect At A Myopia Management Consultation
The Initial Assessment
At your first myopia management appointment, Dr. Patel will perform a comprehensive eye exam with specific attention to myopia-related measurements: refraction, axial length (the length of the eye from front to back), and any early signs of structural changes. The findings, combined with your prescription history, will inform whether myopia management is recommended and which treatment fits best.
Follow-Up Frequency
Myopia management is an ongoing treatment, not a one-time intervention. Follow-up appointments are typically every six months, though Dr. Patel will establish the right schedule for your child’s case. At each visit, axial length and refraction are measured to track how the eye is responding to treatment. Adjustments to the treatment approach can be made based on those findings.
Is Your Child A Candidate For Myopia Management?
If your child’s prescription has changed by 0.50 diopters or more in a single year, or if they’re already in the moderate nearsighted range (-3.00 to -6.00 diopters), myopia management is worth discussing sooner rather than later. The earlier the intervention, the greater likelihood of better long-term outcomes for your child’s health. Dr. Patel will review your child’s prescription history and determine whether MiSight or Stellest is the right fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MiSight 1 day, and how does it slow myopia?
MiSight 1 day is a daily disposable contact lens from CooperVision designed specifically for myopia management in children. It uses a dual-focus optical design: the central zone corrects current distance vision while the peripheral zone creates a focus pattern that signals the eye to slow its growth. Clinical studies show MiSight slows myopia progression by an average of 59% compared to standard single-vision contact lenses.
What is Stellest, and how does it slow myopia?
Stellest is a spectacle lens from Essilor that uses H.A.L.T. technology to slow myopia progression without contact lenses. Like MiSight, it works by manipulating how light focuses in the peripheral retina, but using glasses instead of contacts. Clinical data shows Stellest slows myopia progression by an average of 67% over two years. Stellest is particularly well-suited for children who are not ready for or comfortable with contact lenses.
Does insurance cover myopia management in Lake Nona?
Coverage for myopia management products varies by insurance plan. Standard vision insurance may cover the eye exam and part of the contact lens or eyeglass costs, but dedicated myopia management treatments are not always fully covered. See You Eyecare can review your specific plan at your appointment and discuss out-of-pocket estimates.
Can myopia management cure nearsightedness, or will my child need it indefinitely?
Myopia management slows progression, but it does not cure myopia. Children typically continue treatment until their late teens or early twenties, when the eye stabilizes and progression naturally slows. The goal of myopia management is to help children reach adulthood with a lower prescription — and lower associated health risk — than they would have had without treatment.
Book a Myopia Management Consultation in Lake Nona
To find out whether myopia management is right for your child, schedule a comprehensive eye exam at See You Eyecare. You can book an appointment in Lake Nona by calling (689) 305-2623 or contacting See You Eyecare online today. We offer pediatric eye care and specialty contact lenses for children and adults throughout the Lake Nona community.