Myopia Control Contact Lenses: Can Children Manage Myopia Without Glasses?

When parents hear the words myopia control, specialised glasses are often the first option that comes to mind.

But glasses aren't the only choice.

For suitable children, specially designed soft contact lenses for myopia management can provide clear everyday vision while helping to slow the progression of short-sightedness.

And for children who enjoy sport and active lifestyles, contact lenses can provide another important benefit:

Freedom from glasses while managing their myopia.

What Is Myopia — And Why Should We Manage It?

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness or nearsightedness, causes distant objects to appear blurry.

In many children with progressive myopia, the eye grows longer than it should.

As the eye continues to elongate during childhood, the level of myopia may increase.

Higher levels of myopia are associated with an increased lifetime risk of eye conditions including:

• Myopic macular degeneration
• Retinal detachment
• Glaucoma
• Cataract

Traditional glasses and contact lenses can correct blurred vision.

Myopia management aims to do more — to slow the progression of myopia while the child's eyes are still developing.

How Do Myopia Control Soft Contact Lenses Work?

Myopia management contact lenses aren't simply normal contact lenses with a child's prescription.

They incorporate specialised optical treatment zones.

The lenses provide the correction required for clear vision while simultaneously creating myopic defocus signals designed to help slow excessive eye elongation.

The child therefore receives:

Clear everyday vision

An optical myopia-management treatment

through the same contact lens.

Why Consider Contact Lenses for a Child?

There can be several practical advantages.

Freedom During Sport

For children involved in activities such as football, basketball, dancing or other sports, contact lenses can eliminate some of the limitations associated with wearing spectacles.

There's no frame slipping down the nose and no glasses getting in the way during physical activity.

Wider Unobstructed Vision

Because the contact lens moves with the eye, there is no spectacle frame around the field of vision.

Confidence

Some children simply prefer how they feel without glasses.

Contact lens wear has been associated with improvements in some aspects of children's self-perception, particularly appearance and participation in activities.

But none of these benefits matter unless the child can safely and responsibly manage contact lens wear.

That's why professional assessment and education are essential.

Which Myopia Control Contact Lenses Are Available at IHOLICS?

At IHOLICS, we can consider different soft contact lens technologies depending on the child's individual requirements.

CooperVision MiSight 1 Day

MiSight 1 Day is one of the most established soft contact lenses specifically designed for myopia management in children.

It uses CooperVision's ActivControl Technology.

The optical design combines vision-correction zones with treatment zones that create myopic defocus.

One of MiSight's major strengths is its long-term clinical evidence.

Its clinical program has followed children over multiple years, providing important evidence for both efficacy and longer-term myopia management.

In the original three-year clinical trial, children wearing MiSight 1 Day had significantly less myopia progression and axial eye growth than children wearing conventional single-vision contact lenses.

What's New? MyDay MiSight 1 Day

The next evolution combines MiSight's established ActivControl Technology with CooperVision's MyDay silicone hydrogel platform.

Why does the material matter?

The original MiSight 1 Day uses a hydrogel material.

MyDay MiSight 1 Day uses silicone hydrogel, allowing high oxygen transmissibility while maintaining the daily disposable format.

The updated platform is also designed to provide practical handling and comfort benefits for everyday wear.

Most importantly, the objective remains the same:

Clear vision + evidence-based myopia management.

For existing MiSight patients, however, a newer product doesn't automatically mean that every child needs to change.

The child's current response, vision, comfort, prescription and progression should all be considered.

Johnson & Johnson ACUVUE Abiliti 1-Day

ACUVUE Abiliti 1-Day provides another soft contact lens approach to childhood myopia management.

It uses RingBoost Technology, a specialised optical design developed to provide vision correction together with a strong myopia treatment signal.

Abiliti 1-Day is made using a silicone hydrogel material and has been designed specifically with younger wearers in mind.

Its features include:

• Daily disposable convenience
• Silicone hydrogel material
• RingBoost optical technology
• Child-focused lens design
• Built-in UV blocking

This gives optometrists another option when determining which myopia management strategy may be appropriate for an individual child.

MiSight vs MyDay MiSight vs Abiliti: Which Is Best?

This is where the conversation becomes more important than simply comparing product specifications.

There isn't necessarily one contact lens that is best for every child.

We need to consider:

• Age
• Prescription
• Rate of myopia progression
• Corneal health
• Tear film
• Previous myopia management
• Lifestyle and sporting activities
• Contact lens handling ability
• Hygiene and maturity
• Comfort
• How consistently the lenses can be worn as prescribed

The best myopia management option is the one that is clinically appropriate and that your child can safely and consistently use.

Is My Child Too Young for Contact Lenses?

Age alone doesn't determine whether a child can wear contact lenses.

Some younger children can become excellent contact lens wearers when properly trained, while an older child may not yet be ready for the responsibility.

What matters is whether the child can understand and consistently follow instructions around:

Clean hands.

Correct insertion and removal.

No sleeping in lenses unless specifically prescribed for that purpose.

No swimming or showering in contact lenses.

Correct daily replacement.

Reporting pain, redness or unusual vision promptly.

Parental involvement can also be an important part of successful contact lens wear.

Why Daily Disposable Lenses for Children?

Daily disposable contact lenses offer a particularly simple routine.

New day. New lens.

There is no lens case to clean and no overnight storage solution.

At the end of the day, the lenses are discarded and a fresh pair is used the next time.

But daily disposables still require proper hygiene and professional follow-up.

Contact Lens Fitting Matters

A contact lens prescription is more than a number.

Before recommending myopia management contact lenses, our optometrist needs to assess whether the child's eyes are suitable for contact lens wear.

This may include assessing:

• Corneal health
• Tear film
• Lens centration
• Lens movement
• Vision
• Comfort
• Handling ability

The child also needs practical training in insertion, removal and safe contact lens hygiene.

Follow-up is then important to assess both eye health and the child's myopia progression.

Glasses or Contact Lenses — Which Is Better for Myopia Control?

It doesn't necessarily have to be one versus the other.

At IHOLICS, we have access to several myopia management approaches, including spectacle and soft contact lens options.

For spectacles, options include technologies such as:

HOYA MiYOSMART / MiYOSMART iQ
ZEISS MyoCare
Essilor Stellest

For suitable contact lens wearers, options include:

MiSight / MyDay MiSight 1 Day
ACUVUE Abiliti 1-Day

The objective is not to choose a product first and make the child fit the product.

We assess the child first — then consider the appropriate myopia management strategy.

Why Choose IHOLICS for Myopia Management?

Myopia management is not a one-time purchase.

Children's eyes grow, prescriptions change, lifestyles change and their response to treatment needs to be reviewed.

At IHOLICS, our optometrist can assess your child's:

Vision and prescription

Myopia progression

Eye health

Suitability for contact lens wear

Lifestyle and visual needs

Contact lens handling and hygiene

and discuss appropriate management options with you.

If contact lenses are selected, we also provide professional fitting, insertion and removal training and ongoing reviews.

Because successful myopia management requires more than choosing a lens.

It requires a strategy your child can safely follow as they grow.

Could Myopia Control Contact Lenses Be Right for Your Child?

If your child's prescription is becoming more short-sighted each year — particularly if glasses are limiting sport or everyday activities — soft contact lens myopia management may be worth discussing.

Visit IHOLICS Optician & Optometrist in Calamvale, Brisbane for a children's eye examination and myopia management assessment.

Our optometrist can help you understand the different options and determine whether myopia management contact lenses may be appropriate for your child.

Book a children's eye examination and myopia consultation at IHOLICS.