What is it?
Nearsightedness or myopia as it’s known medically is a condition in the eyes where nearby objects seem clear, but objects that are a little farther away may seem to be blurry and can be hard to focus on. This may result in some difficulties in school or driving, as it could be hard to pinpoint details on whiteboards, screens, or traffic lights. This condition occurs when the cornea or the front clear cover of the eye is too curved or the entire eyeball itself is too long. Myopia is incredibly common with almost a third of the U.S population (30%) being diagnosed with it. Although the cause of the eyeball being too long, or the cornea curving too much isn’t exactly known and sort of a mystery, it is believed to mostly be inherited. Most of the time myopia seems to be inherited from family members who already have it and passed down. If a parent or both have either farsightedness or nearsightedness, then there is a fair chance that their child may receive it at some point in their childhood. Additionally, people that engage in close work such as computer work, reading, or graphic design may be more likely to inherit myopia.
Myopia’s Health Conditions
Myopia usually becomes noticeable in young children and develops until someone’s early 20’s. Although for it to develop in young children is very common and normal, people can develop myopia as adults from stress on the eye or serious health conditions such as diabetes.
Strangely, myopia can also factor in environmental problems. One of these environmental problems is known as “night myopia” where far away objects become blurry but only at night. An explanation for this may be that the increased size of the pupils during the night allows for more unfocused rays of light to enter the eye.
Another strange form of myopia is a type of fake/”pseudo” myopia. This type of myopia occurs when someone constantly takes part in near visual work. This can create visual stress and for a short while and tires the eyes out. While the eyes are tired out, they are unable to properly and accurately focus on objects farther away until the eyes rest.
Symptoms in myopia may be a result of rising blood sugar levels, which are common in diabetics. This is why people with diabetes have a fair chance of having nearsightedness. Another cause for symptoms of myopia may be a forming cataract.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Several tests are needed to conclude the state of someone’s vision and discover how well their ability to focus is. Different tests are conducted to see if there is a problem, and if so, which kind is it. A very popular form of testing is known as the distance chart. A distance chart has different levels of letters that get smaller and smaller with every level. The results for this test are usually used as a fraction with 20/20 being perfect for both eyes. This test is meant to be tested for visual acuity and uses 20/20 to describe the number of feet someone has to be to clearly see something. For instance, if someone had 20/20 vision, then they would be able to see something 20 feet away from 20 feet away. But if someone had 10/20 vision, that would mean that they would have to be 10 feet from an object that someone with correct vision would be able to see from 20 feet.[Text Wrapping Break]Doctors also conduct many tests on a phoropter, which is a complicated device with many lenses that are used to measure how the eyes focus light.
The phoropter measures how the eyes focus light by using a retinoscope. The doctor will then ask a series of questions which in turn allows them to discover which lenses provide the clearest vision. An optometrist usually looks to find lenses that will allow your eyes to see in perfect clarity.
Most of the time, a doctor will recommend prescribed eyeglasses that are specially made to fit your eyes, as they are easy to make, and aren’t very complicated. Although this is the main way to fix your eyesight, there are also a variety of different ways to help from contact lenses to surgery.
- For many, contact lenses are preferred as it provides better clarity and field of view for some even though it does take some amount of precision and care to insert them into your eyes correctly and safely
- Ortho-K is a type of corneal therapy aimed to eventually reshape the cornea through rigid contact lenses. The lenses apply pressure to the cornea to flatten it which then allows it to reshape, however for the user’s safety it can only be worn for limited periods of time.
- Laser procedures and surgeries are also popular. These procedures entail precise lasers to be used to help any refractive errors in the eye.
Myopia is an incredibly common eye condition with more than 3 million cases occurring every single year. Myopia or nearsightedness has many different types of treatment such as contacts, glasses, and surgeries. Myopia is the medical term of nearsightedness and it’s a more popular form of treatment is eyeglasses for their simplicity and availability.