There was a time when a child’s diagnosis of nearsightedness simply meant a trip to pick out a new pair of frames every year as their prescription inevitably crept higher. At Oakes Opticians, we are shifting the conversation from simple correction to active myopia management.
The goal is no longer just to help your child see the whiteboard today, but to protect their eye health for tomorrow. High levels of myopia are linked to increased risks of severe conditions later in life, such as retinal detachment and glaucoma. Fortunately, 2025 has brought a wave of innovative treatments designed to slow down the elongation of the eye—the physical cause of myopia—giving parents powerful tools to safeguard their children’s long-term vision.
5 Cutting-Edge Innovations in Myopia Management
1. DIMS Spectacle Technology (The “Smart” Lens) One of the most significant breakthroughs in pediatric eye care is the development of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) technology, found in lenses like the Hoya MiYOSMART. Unlike standard lenses that only provide clear central vision, DIMS lenses feature a central “clear zone” surrounded by hundreds of tiny segments that create a specific type of blur known as myopic defocus.
This sends a biological signal to the eye to stop growing too long. Clinical studies have shown that these lenses can slow the progression of myopia by an average of 60%, making them a non-invasive and highly effective first line of defence for school-aged children.
2. MiSight 1-day Contact Lenses For active children who play sports or simply prefer not to wear glasses, MiSight 1-day contact lenses offer a revolutionary dual-focus design. These are the first daily disposable contact lenses specifically authorised to slow the progression of nearsightedness in children.
Much like the DIMS spectacle lenses, MiSight uses concentric rings to simultaneously correct the child’s vision and provide the peripheral defocus necessary to “brake” eye growth. Because they are daily disposables, they are hygienic and easy for children as young as eight to manage, resulting in an average 59% reduction in myopia progression.
3. Orthokeratology (The Overnight “Retainer”) Often referred to as Ortho-K, this treatment involves wearing specially designed, gas-permeable contact lenses only while your child sleeps. These lenses gently and temporarily reshape the cornea (the front surface of the eye) overnight.
When the child wakes up, they remove the lenses and can see clearly all day without needing glasses or daytime contacts. Beyond the convenience of freedom from eyewear during the day, Ortho-K creates the same optical defocus effect as specialised daytime lenses, effectively slowing down the lengthening of the eyeball during those critical growing years.
4. Low-Dose Atropine Therapy While optical solutions are popular, pharmacological treatments like low-dose atropine eye drops have become a cornerstone of myopia management in 2025. When administered as a single drop before bed, low concentrations of atropine (typically 0.01% to 0.05%) have been shown to significantly slow myopia progression with minimal side effects, such as light sensitivity or blurred near vision.
This treatment is often used in combination with specialised glasses or contact lenses for children who show rapid progression, providing a multi-layered approach to protecting their eye health.
5. Diffusion Optics Technology (DOT) A newer entry into the field is Diffusion Optics Technology (DOT), used in lenses such as SightGlass Vision. Rather than relying on defocus, these lenses use thousands of microscopic “dots” to gently scatter light and reduce contrast on the retina.
High-contrast images on the peripheral retina can stimulate the eye to grow longer. By subtly reducing contrast, DOT lenses signal the eye to maintain a more stable shape, offering another effective, evidence-based alternative for parents who want to avoid the “wait and see” approach of the past.
Take a proactive step today and book your child’s eye exam at Oakes Opticians today and give them a renewed view on life!