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December 2, 2024
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Every day at her Missouri Eye Consultants practice, Dr. Jacqueline Byrd witnesses first-hand that children naturally have the curiosity and determination to achieve anything they set their minds to. After all, they are always in learning mode.
Whether her young patients are motocross enthusiasts or hoping to land the lead in their ballet recital, Dr. Byrd sees dreams — and confidence — blossom when she fits them in contact lenses.
“It’s a pivotal moment in a child’s life when they get their first pair of contact lenses,” Dr. Byrd says.
Dr. Byrd knows this to be true beyond her experience in practice. Her mother, who’s had high myopia since childhood, can still recount the day in fourth grade when she got her first pair of contact lenses. For the first time in a long time, Dr. Byrd’s mom could see the leaves on the trees in technicolor detail.
“Contact lenses open up a whole new world for children,” Dr. Byrd adds. And they have for generations.
Rely on Science: Children Do Well in Contact Lenses
Dr. Byrd believes eye care professionals should be proactive in offering contacts to young patients with myopia. The benefits she sees go far beyond vision.
Science backs up her conviction.1-4 Studies have found that contact lenses can dramatically improve how children and teens feel about their appearance and their participation in physical activities.2 Just consider the results of one recent study: Compared with kids who wore spectacle lenses, children with myopia who were fit into contact lenses said they had a better quality of life, and most notably in their physical appearance, athletic competence, and social acceptance.2 Other investigations found that children as young as 8 quickly learned to handle contact lenses and generally mastered insertion and removal within the first month.†5
“Kids with myopia have such high motivation to wear contacts,” Dr. Byrd says. “The second I put a lens on a child’s eye, even before it settles, the child will say, ‘I can see!’ Children are so thrilled to be able to see without glasses. Their faces absolutely light up when they wear contact lenses for the first time.”
Convey Confidence to Parents: Your Child Can Do This
During a myopia consult, Dr. Byrd assures parents that their children can be successful contact lens wearers. “I let parents know that I’ve seen kids even younger than their own who wear contact lenses. I then explain what their child’s day-to-day life will look like in contact lenses,” Dr. Byrd continues.
She also leads with confidence, plus pep talk, when interacting with children during the eye exam.
“I come into the visit with great energy. I’ll tell kids, ‘You can do this. We’re going to put the contact lenses in, and you’re going to be able to see right away. And we’re going to teach you how to wear the lenses. And you’re going to love it!’”
Dr. Byrd then shares an easily relatable analogy. “I’ll say to the child, ‘We’d never just give you a bike and have you ride it without knowing how. If you don’t give up, I promise, you’ll be able to wear contact lenses.’” At the end of the day, kids overwhelmingly prefer contact lenses over glasses.‡4
Turn to Evidence-based Treatment and Watch a Child Flourish Today and Beyond
Dr. Byrd first started in myopia management in 2020 when she built the service from the ground up. Today, she has upwards of 100 children in myopia management treatment with a 97% success rate. Her myopia control treatment of choice for age-appropriate children is MiSight 1 day.*
“MiSight is super successful for me because I believe in the treatment wholeheartedly,” she continues “It’s my go-to treatment for myopia management. I have zero kids* who have dropped out of MiSight because it hasn’t been effective in helping to control their myopia.”§3
Five years and 100 kids in treatment later, Dr. Byrd says that myopia management is an incredibly rewarding part of her job.
“I see a lot of these children year after year, and I watch them grow up. To think that I may have had a small hand in helping them flourish into the most confident, best version of themselves that they might not have thought possible, it’s incredibly rewarding,” she says.
Still, there are days when she reminds herself that while fitting kids in contacts is just a typical afternoon for her, it’s a big day for children and their parents.
“If a family gives me a compliment and thanks me for a great eye exam, I think, that’s just my job,” Dr. Byrd notes. “But it really means so much to these families. It’s so invigorating to know that what I do can make a difference.”
Discover more contact lens and myopia management resources at CooperVision’s Online Success Center. And find out more about MiSight 1 day here.
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Dr. Jaqueline Byrd is an experienced optometrist who always puts her patients first when providing them with the compassionate, well-rounded eye care they deserve. She offers a variety of valuable services at Missouri Eye Consultants and has a passion for myopia management. Dr. Byrd completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri then went on to graduate from Southern California College of Optometry. Upon graduation she returned to her home state of Missouri to practice with Missouri Eye Consultants, a multi-location, private practice where she is now an owner. She represents Missouri as a Change Agent of The Myopia Collective. |
References
*Indications for Use: MiSight (omafilcon A) daily wear single use Soft Contact Lenses are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal.
†By 1 month. As reported by parents.
‡ 95% – 100% of children expressed a preference for contact lenses over glasses at each visit over 36 months.
§ Compared to a single vision 1 day lens.
- Walline JJ, Gaume A, Jones LA, et al. Benefits of contact lens wear for children and teens. Eye Contact Lens. 2007 Nov;33(6 Pt 1):317-21.
- Rah MJ, Walline JJ, Jones-Jordan LA, Sinnott LT, Jackson JM, Manny RE, Coffey B, Lyons S; ACHIEVE Study Group. Vision specific quality of life of pediatric contact lens wearers. Optom Vis Sci. 2010 Aug;87(8):560-6.
- Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year Randomized Clinical Trial of MiSight Lenses for Myopia Control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8)556-567.
- Sulley, A., et al. Wearer experience and subjective responses with dual focus compared to spherical, single vision soft contact lenses in children during a 3-year clinical trial. AAO 2019 poster presentation.
- CVI data on file 2018. MiSight 1 day 3-year study report.
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