Had LASIK for High Myopia? Why Your Child Needs an Eye Exam — and How DreamSculpt Ortho-K Helps Slow Myopia

If you had LASIK because you were highly nearsighted, you already know how much clear distance vision can change a life. You also know that myopia often runs in families. Kids with one or two nearsighted parents have a higher risk of becoming nearsighted themselves — and of seeing that nearsightedness increase year after year.

That is why I am writing this as an eye doctor and a parent who cares about the long game. A regular comprehensive eye exam comes first. If your child's myopia is building, DreamSculpt Ortho-K is a great way to help keep it in check as part of thoughtful myopia management.

Why a LASIK parent's story matters for kids

Many adults who chose LASIK started with a high prescription — thick glasses, dry daytime contacts, or night glare on the road. As parents, they hope their children will have more choices later, including refractive surgery if the family and a surgeon decide that is right.

Childhood myopia is not a fixed number. For many kids, the prescription keeps climbing through the school years. Measuring early, and talking about options that help slow myopia, may leave more room for comfortable vision now and for future decisions later.

We do the exams and the myopia management here at Reimbold Eye Group. We do not perform LASIK. When the time is right, we refer out to a trusted LASIK surgeon. The surgeon decides candidacy around age 18 or later, once vision is stable.

How DreamSculpt Ortho-K (orthokeratology) fits

DreamSculpt Ortho-K is a custom overnight contact lens approach — also called orthokeratology, Ortho-K, or OrthoK. Your child wears the lenses while they sleep. During the day, many kids enjoy clear vision for school, sports, and screens without daytime glasses or soft contacts.

Just as important for a LASIK family: DreamSculpt Ortho-K helps slow myopia. Progress can still happen for some children. What we want is a measured, realistic slowing so the prescription does not race ahead as quickly as it otherwise might.

Fitting is careful and personalized. We use corneal topography as part of designing and following the lenses, so we can see how the cornea is responding and adjust when needed. Our team was trained for three years by Dr. Jeffrey Jeruss, OD, FIAOMC, a world Ortho-K specialist and Custom Ortho-K educator.

Lower myopia and a better chance at LASIK later

When a young adult reaches 18 or older and vision has been stable, a LASIK surgeon looks at many factors: prescription, corneal thickness, pupil size, lifestyle, and overall eye health. No one can promise that a child will be a LASIK candidate. What we can say is this: with lower myopia, the treatment (ablation) zone can often be larger. That can mean less risk of halos and night glare, and less corneal tissue removed.

Helping slow myopia during the growing years can help keep a young person in a better range — and give them a better chance — if they later choose to explore LASIK with a surgeon. The final yes or no still belongs to that surgeon, after a proper evaluation.

If someone has been wearing Ortho-K, they typically stop lens wear for a period before a LASIK evaluation, as the surgeon directs, so the cornea returns to its natural shape. That pause is expected and planned.

Start with a family eye exam

Schedule a regular comprehensive eye exam first, and schedule the whole family at the same time when you can. Parents who had LASIK still need ongoing eye health checks. Kids need age-appropriate exams that catch rising myopia early.

While you are planning that visit, grab our free DreamSculpt Ortho-K parent ebook. When you book with the same email you used for the ebook, you get $300 off the first year's DreamSculpt Ortho-K fit per child within 90 days.

• Learn more about myopia management
• Explore DreamSculpt Ortho-K
• Download the free DreamSculpt Ortho-K parent ebook
• Book Online for your family's exams

Come in, get clear measurements, and we will walk through what fits your child — and what can help slow myopia while they grow.

FAQ

If I had LASIK for high myopia, will my child need it too?

Not necessarily. Myopia often runs in families, so kids with one or two nearsighted parents have a higher risk. Regular exams tell us whether their prescription is rising and whether myopia management, including DreamSculpt Ortho-K, may help.

Does DreamSculpt Ortho-K guarantee my child can have LASIK at 18?

No. We never promise LASIK candidacy. Helping slow myopia can mean a better chance and a better range later, with a potentially larger ablation zone and less tissue removed — but the LASIK surgeon decides around age 18 or later, once vision is stable.

Do you perform LASIK at Reimbold Eye Group?

No. We provide comprehensive exams and myopia management, including DreamSculpt Ortho-K (orthokeratology / Ortho-K / OrthoK), and we refer out for LASIK when appropriate.

What should Ortho-K wearers do before a LASIK evaluation?

Ortho-K wearers stop lens wear for a period before a LASIK evaluation, as the surgeon directs, so the cornea returns to its natural shape. We will help coordinate timing when that chapter arrives.