Myopia
Myopia is a refractive state of vision and common in many people. Being able to see objects clearly up close, but blurry when further away.
What is Nearsightedness?
Nearsightedness occurs when the shape of the eye isn’t exactly round causing light to bend in the wrong direction and focus images in front of the retina instead of onto the retina.
What Are The Symptoms?
Symptoms of nearsightedness, also known as myopia, include:
- Blurry vision: Objects that are far away appear blurry, especially at night.
- Squinting: You need to squint or partially close your eyelids to see clearly.
- Eyestrain: Your eyes feel tired or sore.
- Headaches: Eyestrain can cause headaches.
- Sitting close: You need to sit closer to the television, movie screen, or the front of the classroom.
- Rubbing eyes: You rub your eyes frequently.
- Difficulty reading: You have difficulty reading words from a distance, such as reading the whiteboard at school.
- Poor performance: You might experience poor performance in school or have a shortened attention span.
What Causes Nearsightedness?
Genetics
More than 200 genes are involved in nearsightedness, including some that guide eye growth and others that process light signals. If a parent has nearsightedness, their child is more likely to have it as well.
Environmental factors
Spending less time outdoors and doing more near work, like reading, studying, and using computers, is likely linked to the increase in nearsightedness worldwide. Other risk factors include urbanization and a high socioeconomic class.
Eye shape
Nearsightedness can occur when the eyeball is too long or oval-shaped, or when the cornea is too curved. This causes light rays to cross in front of the retina, resulting in blurry vision.
This condition may develop gradually or rapidly. It is usually detected during childhood.
How Is It Treated?
- Eyeglasses or contact lenses: An eye doctor can prescribe the right lenses to help you see clearly. Eyeglasses can correct a combination of refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Contact lenses can correct more than one refractive error.
- Refractive surgery: This surgery uses a laser to reshape the cornea so it can focus light clearly. There are several types of refractive surgery, including LASIK, PRK, Epi-LASIK, and SMILE.
- Atropine eye drops: These drops can slow the progression of nearsightedness in children. They work by relaxing the muscles in the eye that are responsible for focus.
- Orthokeratology contact lenses: These lenses are worn overnight to temporarily reshape the cornea.
Nearsightedness doesn’t go away, but there are some things you can do to support your eye health, such as:
- Limiting time on digital devices
- Taking screen breaks to stretch your eye muscles
- Not reading or working in dim light
- Going outdoors and wearing sunglasses
- Wearing protective eye gear for sports and hobbies
- Stopping smoking
- Scheduling regular eye exams