Slow week...

I'm not certain how the rest of you are doing, but this week has been a killer so far! I think parents are getting organized with school and as a result our phones are quiet and our appointment book looks kinda sad...

In the last couple of weeks I have seen many children and have been very proud to help them see better and hopefully do better in school. A constant question I get asked is: is there anything to stop reverse or slow progression of near sightedness? I'll try to answer that and provide info on new research.

The National Eye Institute is now studying the effects of bifocals to slow the progression of myopia. Preliminary results suggest that bifocals may or may not slow the progression of near-sightness (myopia). Although two new research papers have been published which demonstrates the positive effect of bifocals in slowing down the progression of myopia, the most recent study suggests this is short lived.

The second method is Drops, specifically Atropine, which dilate the eyes and paralyze the focusing mechanism have, also, been shown to slow myopia. Recently, there have been some studies demonstrating that Atropine drops with bifocals have a real effect in slowing down the progression of myopia. Myopia progression dropped from .25 diopters per year to .05 diopters per year on the average. Unfortunately, treatment with drops may be worse than the disease. The drops dilate the pupils for 14 days and might result in light sensitivity.

There is an experimental drug, which is in the same family as atropine but doesn't have its side effects, which is as effective as atropine in stopping the progression of myopia in animal studies. This new drug pirenzipine has been used in Japan and Europe for years to treat stomach problems. It has a long safety profile and has passed phase I and II of the FDA.

lets see what the future holds...