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AUSTIN, Texas — With thousands of kids increasing screen time during the pandemic, poor eye health among children became more common.

Dr. Denise Smith, clinical director for the Center for Vision Development, said myopia, also known as nearsightedness, has increased. She said about 20 million children in the U.S. have myopia. That’s about one in three children.

“It’s now become an epidemic,” she said.

Liubov Krimer is the mom of a 10-year-old girl, Catherine, who loves to read. But back in 2020, she discovered her daughter's eyes weren’t doing too well.

“I noticed that she started to come in closer and closer to the things that she needed to see,” Krimer said. “And we were in such a denial. She didn't want to admit it at the beginning.”

That’s when the family sought a diagnosis and discovered Catherine had myopia.

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“It was heartbreaking for us because we didn't want our kids to stop reading and learning,” Krimer said.

That’s when the family found Dr. Smith. 

Smith has partnered with Treehouse Eyes, a practice dedicated exclusively to treating myopic children. They have very specialized treatment protocols to stop the progression of myopia.

“Most people think of wearing glasses to treat myopia,” Smith said. “However, traditional glasses and contact lenses do nothing to stop the progression. So, we utilize other methods that include customized overnight contact lenses, customized daytime lenses and special prescription eye drops, all of which have shown to be very effective.”

Krimer said her daughter’s myopia hasn’t progressed any further because of these treatments. She urges parents to get their child’s eyes routinely checked. 

“I wish I had just come sooner,” Krimer said. 

These are some signs to look out for if your child has nearsightedness:

For more information and to schedule a free myopia consultation, visit the Treehouse Eyes website.

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