New backpacks, fresh notebooks, new shoes—and an eye exam? As families prepare for another school year, vision deserves a place on the back-to-school checklist.
Clear, comfortable vision plays an important role in the classroom, from reading the board to completing assignments and participating in sports. For children with myopia, or nearsightedness, however, there’s another reason to stay on top of annual eye exams: myopia can progress as children grow.
At New Jersey Eyes in Clifton, NJ, we help families identify myopia early and explore management options designed to do more than simply correct blurry vision.
What Is Myopia?
Myopia is a common vision condition that causes distant objects to appear blurry while closer objects are generally easier to see. A child with myopia may have difficulty reading the board at school, recognizing people from across the room, or seeing clearly during sports and other distance activities.
Because children don’t always realize their vision is blurry, they may not tell a parent that something is wrong. Instead, parents and teachers may notice signs such as:
- Squinting to see objects in the distance
- Sitting closer to the television
- Moving closer to the front of the classroom
- Complaining of difficulty seeing the board
- Experiencing headaches or eye strain
- A glasses prescription that becomes stronger from year to year
A comprehensive pediatric eye exam can determine whether myopia or another vision issue is affecting your child.
Why Managing Myopia Matters
Traditional prescription glasses can give a child with myopia clearer distance vision, but correcting blur isn’t necessarily the same as managing myopia progression.
Myopia often progresses throughout childhood as the eyes continue to grow. Higher levels of myopia are associated with an increased lifetime risk of certain eye health problems. That’s why today’s approach to pediatric myopia can include strategies intended to slow its progression, rather than simply updating a child’s prescription each time it changes.
Early detection also gives parents an opportunity to discuss management options before significant progression occurs.
Myopia Management With Stellest™ Lenses
At New Jersey Eyes, we offer Essilor® Stellest™ lenses for myopia management in children.
Unlike ordinary single-vision eyeglass lenses, Stellest lenses are specially designed to provide clear vision while helping slow myopia progression. For families, they also offer the familiarity and convenience of eyeglasses, making myopia management easier to incorporate into a child’s everyday routine.
Not every child with myopia has exactly the same needs. During your child’s visit, we can evaluate their prescription and vision and discuss whether myopia management is appropriate.
Don’t Rely on a School Vision Screening Alone
School screenings can be useful for identifying some potential vision concerns, but they aren’t a substitute for a comprehensive eye examination.
A complete children’s eye exam allows an optometrist to evaluate visual clarity as well as eye alignment, focusing, depth perception and overall eye health. It can also identify early myopia and monitor changes in a child’s prescription over time.
Even if your child hasn’t complained about blurry vision, an eye exam before or near the beginning of the school year can help make sure their eyes are ready for the demands of the classroom.
Make Healthy Vision Part of Your Back-to-School Routine
The beginning of a new school year is all about giving kids the tools they need to succeed. Clear vision—and a plan for protecting their vision as they grow—can be an important part of that preparation.
If your child is already nearsighted, has recently started squinting to see far away, or seems to need a stronger prescription every year, it may be time to ask about myopia management.
Schedule a children’s eye exam with New Jersey Eyes in Clifton, NJ, and ask whether myopia management with Stellest™ lenses may be right for your child.