My Child’s Myopia Is Getting Worse Every Year — What Can I Do About It?

If you’ve just come back from your child’s annual eye test and their prescription has gone up again, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common concerns we hear from parents at E Eye Place and it’s a completely valid one.

The reassuring news is that worsening myopia in children is not something you simply have to accept. There are proven strategies that can slow the progression significantly, protect your child’s long-term eye health, and reduce how strong their final prescription ends up being. But most parents don’t hear about them until the prescription is already quite high.

Why does myopia keep getting worse in children?

Myopia or short-sightedness, occurs when the eyeball grows slightly too long, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. The result is clear vision up close but blurry vision at a distance.

The problem is that children’s eyes are still growing. During the primary and early high school years especially, the eyeball can continue to elongate, which means the prescription often increases year on year. This is completely normal but it’s not harmless, and it’s not inevitable that it has to progress as much as it does.

Genetics plays the largest role. If one parent is myopic, a child has roughly a 1 in 3 chance of developing myopia. If both parents are myopic, that risk rises to around 1 in 2. But environment matters too. Research consistently shows that children who spend more time outdoors have slower myopia progression. The current recommendation is at least 90 minutes of outdoor time per day. Prolonged near work, particularly screens held close to the face, is also associated with faster progression.

Perth’s lifestyle, while active in many ways, still involves significant amounts of indoor screen time for school-aged children. It’s worth factoring in.

What’s the difference between correcting myopia and managing it?

This is the most important distinction most parents haven’t heard.

Standard prescription glasses and regular contact lenses, correct your child’s blurry distance vision. They are doing their job. But they do nothing to slow the underlying progression. Every year the eyeball continues to grow, the prescription continues to increase, and the glasses are updated to match.

Myopia management takes a different approach. Rather than just compensating for the blur, it actively works to slow the rate at which the eye elongates. The goal is a lower final prescription and that matters more than it might seem.

Mild myopia (under -3.00) carries relatively low risk of serious complications. High myopia (over -6.00) significantly increases the lifetime risk of conditions including retinal detachment, myopic maculopathy, glaucoma, and early cataracts. These aren’t scare tactics. They’re well-documented in the clinical literature, and they’re the reason optometrists increasingly view myopia progression as something worth intervening in early rather than monitoring passively.

The earlier myopia management begins, the more progression can be prevented. A child who starts at age 8 with a -1.00 prescription has a much better chance of finishing their teenage years at -2.50 than -5.00, if the right steps are taken.

You can read more about the long-term risks of unmanaged myopia on our myopia management page.

What myopia management options are available?

There is no single approach that suits every child. The right option depends on your child’s age, their current prescription, their lifestyle, and how quickly their myopia has been progressing. At E Eye Place, we assess each child individually and explain the options clearly before recommending anything. Here is an overview of what’s available:

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)

Ortho-K lenses are custom-made rigid lenses worn overnight while your child sleeps. They gently reshape the cornea so that, when removed in the morning, vision is clear throughout the day — no glasses or daytime contact lenses needed. The reshaping reverses if the lenses aren’t worn, so they need to be used consistently.

Ortho-K has strong clinical evidence behind it for slowing myopia progression, with studies showing reductions in axial eye growth of around 40–60% compared to standard glasses. It’s particularly popular with active children and those involved in sport. Most children aged 8 and above are suitable candidates.

MiSight contact lenses

MiSight are soft daily disposable contact lenses designed specifically for myopia management in children. They’re worn during the day like standard contact lenses, are replaced daily so there’s no cleaning required, and have been clinically proven to slow myopia progression by around 59% over three years.

They’re a good option for children who are comfortable with contact lenses but aren’t suited to or interested in Ortho-K. Most children take to them quickly and appreciate the independence from glasses during the school day or sport. Our contact lenses page covers more on what to expect from contact lens wear in children.

Low-dose atropine eye drops

Atropine drops are applied nightly and have been shown in multiple large studies to slow myopia progression significantly. Low-dose atropine (0.025% or 0.05%) has fewer side effects than the higher doses used historically — minimal pupil dilation and little effect on near focus — making it a practical option for school-aged children.

Atropine is often used alongside optical treatments such as Ortho-K or MiSight to enhance the overall effect. It’s not a standalone correction — children still need glasses or lenses for clear vision — but it’s a valuable tool in a comprehensive myopia management plan.

Myopia control spectacle lenses

For younger children or those not yet ready for contact lenses, specially designed spectacle lenses such as DIMS (Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments) or Stellest lenses offer a glasses-based alternative. These are worn like standard glasses but are designed to reduce the stimulus driving eye growth.

They’re less effective on average than Ortho-K or MiSight, but they’re a meaningful step up from conventional glasses and a practical starting point for younger children. We stock a range of children’s frames suitable for these lenses.

When is the right time to start myopia management?

The honest answer is: as soon as myopia is confirmed and the child is old enough for the chosen treatment. Waiting to see if progression slows on its own is rarely a strategy that pays off.

The period of fastest myopia progression is typically between ages 7 and 14. Every year of unmanaged progression during this window contributes to a higher final prescription. Starting management at -1.00 produces far better long-term outcomes than starting at -3.00, even if the child ends up seeing an optometrist at the same age.

If your child has been diagnosed with myopia and you haven’t had a conversation about management options yet, it’s worth asking at your next visit — or booking a dedicated consultation to discuss it. You can book directly through our Shelley clinic or our Port Coogee clinic.

What should I ask at my child’s next eye exam?

If you’re not sure where to start, here are four questions worth raising with your optometrist:

“How much has my child’s prescription changed since last year?” – A change of -0.50 or more per year is generally considered fast progression and a strong indicator that management is worth discussing.

“What is my child’s axial length, and are you measuring it?” – Axial length (the physical length of the eyeball) is a more reliable marker of myopia progression than prescription change alone. Not all practices measure it routinely, but it’s worth asking for.

“Based on my child’s current trajectory, what prescription might they reach by adulthood without intervention?” – A good optometrist should be able to give you a realistic picture of where things are heading.

“Which myopia management option would you recommend for my child specifically, and why?” – The answer should be tailored to your child’s age, prescription, and lifestyle, not a one-size-fits-all response.

At E Eye Place, our children’s vision consultations are designed to give you clear, practical answers to exactly these kinds of questions.

Myopia Management in Perth

A prescription that keeps climbing every year is a signal worth acting on, not a reason to panic, but not something to simply accept either. Myopia management is well-established, effective, and available right here in Perth. The earlier it starts, the more it can achieve.

If you’d like to talk through the options for your child, we’d love to help. Book a consultation at our Shelley or Port Coogee clinic — or get in touch with our team through the contact page if you have questions first.