WASHINGTON (AP) — For many children, the experience of getting their first pair of glasses is an inevitable milestone, the first in a lifetime of visits to the eye doctor.

A new type of lens, however, could help preserve the child’s vision and reduce the chances for more serious eye problems in adulthood.

The lens, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September, has previously been available in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. It’s now rolling out in the United States.

Myopia, commonly called nearsightedness, is when people can clearly see objects at close range but struggle with distant objects, which often appear blurry or indistinct.

Studies conducted around the world have shown rising rates of myopia, which researchers have associated with increased time indoors looking at screens, books and other objects held close to the eyes.

In the U.S., 30 percent to 40 percent of children will have myopia by the time they finish high school, according to Dr. Michael Repka, a professor and pediatric ophthalmologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Until now, doctors had few options for treating the condition.

“It was typically and simply: ‘Your child needs to wear glasses and they’ll live with it,’” Repka said. “‘It will be lifelong and it will likely get worse over the next few years.’”

The specialized glasses, sold under the brand Essilor Stellest, are approved by the FDA to slow nearsightedness in 6- to 12-year-olds.

The FDA said it cleared the lenses based on company data showing children experienced a 70 percent reduction in the progression of their myopia after two years. Over time, myopia causes the eye to grow longer, worsening vision and increasing the risk of tears to the retina — the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that is essential for vision. The new lenses use 11 concentric rings filled with tiny raised dots to refocus light onto the retina in a way that is believed to slow elongation of the eye.

“Whether this hypothesis is ultimately proven to be true, of course, matters only in part,” Repka said, noting that the lenses appear to work regardless of how the underling science works.

In the company study, children wearing the lens showed a 50 percent reduction in eye lengthening when measured after two years. Researchers in the U.S. and other countries are conducting their own independent studies to confirm those results.

Ophthalmologists say the potential benefits go beyond preserving vision to heading off some long-term consequences of severe myopia, which can include cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment that can lead to blindness.