What is Myopia?
Myopia, also called nearsightedness, is when you can see things that are close to you more clearly than things that are far away. It is a fairly common refractive error that occurs when the shape of your eyeball causes rays of light to bend incorrectly, focusing images in front of your retina instead of on your retina, causing problems with your distance vision.
Common symptoms of myopia, or nearsightedness, include:
- Blurred vision when looking at objects in the distance.
- Blurry peripheral vision
- The need to squint to see clearly.
- Eye strain headaches.
- Trouble seeing when driving, particularly at night.
What Causes Myopia?
There are two main parts of the eye that focus images, including the cornea and the lens. Normally, each of these elements has a smooth curvature, similar to the surface of a marble. If your cornea or lens is not smoothly curved, light rays are not refracted correctly, leading to a refractive error and myopia. Nearsightedness happens when your eyeball is longer than it should be, and your cornea is curved too steeply.
Some people are more at risk for developing myopia than others. The risk factors commonly associated with the condition include:
- Not getting enough sleep
- A family history of myopia
- Excessive screen time
- Not enough time spent outdoors
Myopia in Children
Myopia in early childhood is becoming quite common. Fortunately, early intervention and specialized treatments at Advanced Eye Surgeons can help slow its progression. By stepping in early, we can help children who are at higher risk for progressive myopia (or myopia that gets worse over time).
The best ways to help children with myopia include specialized eyeglasses for myopia control, atropine eye drops, and bifocal or multifocal glasses.
To prevent myopia development altogether, it’s important to increase outdoor activities, manage how much screen time they have, and schedule regular eye exams.
KNOW YOUR DOCTOR
Dr. Archana Gupta
Cataract Surgeon, Ophthalmologist, Cornea & External Diseases Specialist
Dr. Archana Gupta is a board certified ophthalmologist. She specializes in cataract, cornea, external diseases and refractive surgery.
Diagnosing and Treating Myopia
Myopia can be diagnosed during a basic eye exam. During this appointment, Dr. Gupta will perform a refraction assessment to see if you have vision problems like nearsightedness or farsightedness. She may also use different tools to assess your vision. If nearsightedness is diagnosed, we will discuss possible treatment options.
There are also different levels of severity of myopia. The different types range from mild myopia or severe myopia/high myopia. When myopia is diagnosed, the main goal is to slow myopia progression and its severity.
The main goal of myopia treatment is vision correction. This is done by helping to focus light on your retina with corrective lenses or refractive surgery.
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are worn right on your eyes, and are available in many different forms. If you choose to purchase prescription contact lenses, be sure to use proper contact lens hygiene to keep your eyes healthy.
Eyeglasses
Glasses are an easy and safe way to correct nearsightedness. There are many different types of eyeglass lenses, including single-vision, bifocals, trifocals, and progressive multifocals. Dr. Gupta will work with you to determine which lenses are best for improving your vision and your ability to see distant objects.
LASIK
LASIK is a safe and effective procedure that uses a laser to adjust the curves of your cornea and correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness. Recovery from LASIK is usually quicker than that of other cornea surgeries, and once your vision is corrected, you will not have to depend on glasses or contact lenses.
It’s important to note that patients with severe myopia are at a higher risk for other eye conditions, including retinal detachment. Managing and treating the condition are crucial.
Schedule Your Appointment
If you are having difficulty seeing objects in the distance or have trouble driving at night, schedule an eye exam with Dr. Gupta today. At Advanced Eye Surgeons, we perform thorough and professional eye assessments to properly diagnose and treat refractive errors.
CONTACT US
If you have a question or would like to schedule an appointment, please fill out and submit our online form.
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