Myopia evaluation
The first visit sets the baseline for a child or teen whose vision keeps getting more nearsighted.
Myopia, or nearsightedness, means distant things look blurry because the eye has grown long for its focusing power. Glasses and contact lenses correct the blur. Some options are also designed to slow how fast the eye grows, and results vary.
An evaluation is not a treatment. It gives you the numbers and the options, and the doctor explains the risks of each so that you can decide. Nothing is started unless you decide to.
What happens at the visit
- 0110 minutes
Step 1: Questions first
We ask about glasses, screen time, time outdoors and family history, and what you have noticed.
- 0230 minutes
Step 2: Drops and measurements
Drops relax the focusing muscles for a true prescription. Then we scan the length and the curve of the eye.
Prescription
Eye length
Curve of the front of the eye
- 0310 minutes
Step 3: Eye health check
The doctor looks at the front and the back of each eye.
- 0410 minutes
Step 4: The options, side by side
Each option, its FDA status, what it asks of you and what is not known.
- 05Before you go
Step 5: Your plan, in writing
You leave with the numbers, a copy of the prescription and, if you choose one, the next visit.
- Sudden vision loss, flashes of light, a curtain over your vision, a chemical splash or an eye injury needs care now. Call our office right away or go to an emergency room. If you can't reach us, call 911.
Billing and what to bring
Vision plan
A routine exam, glasses and contact lenses are billed to a vision plan.
Medical insurance
Follow-up visits for myopia and eye health checks are usually billed to medical insurance. Myopia control lenses and drops are billed separately.
Bring with you
Current glasses and contact lenses
Your vision plan and medical insurance cards
Names of any eye drops in use
The doctors who do this
About the evaluation
Will my child need drops?
Usually yes. The drops relax focusing for a true measurement. They sting briefly, blur near vision for a few hours and make eyes sensitive to light, so bring sunglasses.
Do you start treatment at the first visit?
Only if you choose to. Many families take the numbers and the options home first.
Do results vary?
Yes. Results vary from child to child, and we never promise one.
How much will this cost?
It depends on the visit and on your plan. How fees work explains which part a vision plan pays, which part medical insurance pays and what you pay yourself, and we give a written estimate in advance.
Book a myopia evaluation
About an hour, with the options explained side by side.