January 15, 2026
By Kimberly Orr, OD
Photo courtesy of Dreamstime
I came into my associate role thinking of myself as a primary care clinician rather than a myopia specialist. I set aside my initial skepticism and ended up becoming the primary resource for myopia care in the office. My experience in fitting MiSight Day 1 lenses and prescribing low-dose atropine expanded the practice’s offerings without building an entirely separate practice. We’re a primary care destination for families needing options for myopia management.
Reframing Myopia Management
At first, I remember being a student and thinking you couldn’t change things like height or other genetics, so how could you truly manipulate myopia? I wasn’t really on board with myopia management until around 2020 when MiSight launched in the U.S.. That’s when I saw a shift in myself; I began thinking about keeping kids from becoming high myopes instead of assuming prescriptions were just genetics.
Seeing research around atropine and MiSight made me realize myopia management could be practical. Fitting MiSight felt no different from fitting a regular soft contact lens, even if I had to explain the therapy and cost differently. Reframing how I thought of these treatment options and then implementing them was what got my feet wet. I even had parents actively seeking myopia treatments, which convinced me the shift was real and that families want these options.
Now, I always discuss myopia management and present families with clear options instead of defaulting to new glasses and annual visits. Scheduling six-month follow-ups lets me spot progression sooner and start treatment earlier. That not only improves outcomes but also attracts more patients looking for management. If a treatment we offer is not working or we don’t provide it in-office, then we refer them to other providers.
There’s also a professional and generational shift happening. Some of our younger clinicians are more willing to try myopia management, partly because it’s a skill that you can’t just find online. For a lot of us, it’s a nice way to stay hands-on and offer something that makes a long-term difference.
Family-Focused Care
You don’t need a playground waiting room to be kid-friendly. My approach is pragmatic: set expectations, enlist parental support and make the process as straightforward as possible. I make the tests into playful challenges, saying something like, “Let’s see how wide you can open your eyes.” Staying energetic encourages them through each step. Kids relax and cooperate more when they’re comfortable.
I also try to speak directly to children and explain things in age-appropriate ways. I ask them, “What makes you nervous?” to get them engaged and involved in their care. Even though parents are the medical decision makers, I make sure the child is always informed and included because they deserve to be part of the process. This gives them space to ask questions so they feel involved rather than spoken about. I also frame the treatment around what matters to the child: clearer vision for sports or less hassle with glasses during activities. This boosts their motivation to adhere to treatment. Children’s involvement in the conversation can reassure parents that they understand what’s happening.
Parents are essential partners for maintaining treatment. When parents understand the long-term value of slowing myopia progression, they’re more likely to encourage consistency and help the child stick with the treatment plan. I educate parents with that goal in mind since they know how to best motivate their child. Parental involvement helps anxious kids stay in treatment and reduces the chance they’ll quit.
I didn’t start out planning to build a myopia practice. I wanted to lead by example and show that we can treat myopia differently. Meaningful myopia management doesn’t require a dramatic redesign of the practice. It requires clinicians and staff who are comfortable with kids, parents who understand and support treatment, practical options that lower barriers and some outreach to get the word out. By embedding myopia care into the fabric of primary practice, we can improve children’s long-term visual outcomes while maintaining the broad scope of traditional optometry.
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Dr. Kimberly Orr earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry in 2014, graduating with Cum Laude honors. Dr. Orr is an associate at Triad Eye Associates in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is actively involved in her professional community as a member of the American Optometric Association (AOA), the North Carolina Optometric Society (NCOS), and the Triad Optometric Society. She serves as the NCOS Professional Education Trustee and is a former Third Party Trustee for NCOS. She was also selected as a 2024 Change Agent for the Myopia Collective and graduated from the AOA Leadership Institute in 2022. |
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