Key Takeaways
- Myopia causes blurry distance vision and often gets worse during childhood.
- MiYOSMART lenses use DIMS technology to correct vision and help slow myopia progression.
- They suit children ages 6 to 18 and fit standard frames like regular glasses.
- Follow-up exams can track axial length and prescription changes over time.
- Daily outdoor time and screen habits can support your child’s eye health alongside lens wear.
Your child squints at the whiteboard. They scoot closer to the TV. Maybe they mention headaches after school. These can all be signs that their vision isn’t as sharp as it should be, and if myopia is behind it, the sooner it’s addressed, the better the outcome can be.
MiYOSMART lenses are a family of glasses lenses designed to correct your child’s vision while also helping to slow the rate at which their myopia progresses. In addition to the original MiYOSMART lens, the newer MiYOSMART iQ lens is now available. It builds on HOYA’s DIMS (Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments) technology and, according to a recent randomized controlled clinical trial, has been shown to be approximately twice as effective at controlling myopia progression as the original MiYOSMART lens over the study period.
Insight Eyecare offers myopia management for children across South Surrey and White Rock, including a myopia control program tailored to each child’s needs.
What Myopia Means for Your Child’s Vision
Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, happens when the eye grows slightly too long from front to back. That extra length throws off how light focuses inside the eye, making distant objects look blurry while nearby things typically stay clear.
It’s often spotted between the ages of 6 and 18, when children’s eyes are still developing. Without proper management, myopia can continue to worsen year over year. That’s not just a prescription problem. Higher levels of myopia over time are linked to a greater risk of certain eye health concerns later in life.
Signs Your Child May Have Myopia
Children don’t always know their vision is off because they’ve never seen it any other way. That makes it worth knowing what to look for at home. Common signs can include:
- Squinting or moving closer to screens and televisions.
- Frequent headaches or complaints of eye strain, especially after school.
- Difficulty seeing the board from a normal classroom distance.
If any of these sound familiar, a comprehensive eye exam with an optometrist in South Surrey and White Rock can give you a clear picture of what’s going on with your child’s vision.
How MiYOSMART Lenses Work
The DIMS Technology Behind the Lens
MiYOSMART lenses are built around a technology called DIMS, short for Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments. The lens has two distinct zones that work together.
The central zone corrects your child’s prescription for clear, everyday vision. The outer zone is where the myopia management side comes in. It creates what’s called myopic defocus, which is a signal to the eye that slows down how quickly it elongates. Since elongation is what drives myopia progression, slowing that process is the goal.
MiYOSMART IQ: What’s New?
MiYOSMART iQ is the latest addition to the MiYOSMART lens family. It builds on the proven DIMS technology used in the original MiYOSMART lens. Recent randomized controlled trial results showed MiYOSMART iQ was approximately twice as effective at controlling myopia progression as the original MiYOSMART lens over 12 months. On average, children wearing MiYOSMART iQ experienced no myopia progression and minimal axial eye growth during the study period.
During your child’s eye exam, our optometrist can recommend whether the original MiYOSMART lens or MiYOSMART iQ is the better option based on their prescription, eye health, and individual visual needs.
What to Expect When Your Child Wears Them
Most children adapt to MiYOSMART lenses within 1 to 2 weeks. During that time, full-time wear helps the eyes adjust more comfortably and consistently. After the adjustment period, wearing them throughout the day is recommended to get the full benefit of the treatment zone.
Both the original MiYOSMART lens and MiYOSMART iQ fit into standard eyeglass frames, so they look and function much like regular prescription glasses while providing myopia management.
Who MiYOSMART Lenses Are for and What to Expect
Age Range and Prescription Fit
MiYOSMART lenses are designed for children between the ages of 6 and 18. They accommodate prescriptions up to -10.00D with up to -4.00D cylinder, which covers a wide range of myopic prescriptions. If you’re unsure whether your child falls within that range, your eye doctor can review their current prescription at their next exam.
How We Track Progress
Myopia management isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it approach. Regular follow-up exams let the eye doctor measure axial length, the physical length of the eye, and track any prescription changes over time. How often your child comes in depends on how quickly their myopia is progressing. Some children are seen every 6 months; others more frequently. A comprehensive eye exam gives the eye doctor a full picture of your child’s eye health at each visit.
Supporting Your Child’s Eye Health at Home
Glasses do a lot of the work, but what your child does day to day also plays a role. Aim for at least 2 hours of outdoor time daily. Natural light exposure is one of the more well-supported factors in managing myopia progression in children.
During screen time, encourage the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, have them look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It gives the eyes a break from sustained near focus. Keeping screens about an arm’s length from the face also helps reduce the strain that comes from extended close-up use.
Small, consistent habits like these can support everything the lenses are already doing.
Talk to Us About MiYOSMART Lenses
If your child is showing signs of myopia, or if their prescription has been creeping up year after year, MiYOSMART lenses may be worth exploring. Our team at Insight Eyecare works with families across South Surrey and White Rock to create care plans that fit each child’s needs. Reach out to book a comprehensive eye exam and find out if MiYOSMART lenses are the right fit for your child.
