Myopia

• What is Myopia?
• What causes Myopia?
• Can vision be improved?
• Does Myopia change?

What is Myopia?

Myopia means 'Short Sighted'

The most common problem for people who are short sighted is difficulty seeing distant objects clearly. Some myopic children have never had clear distance vision and so are not aware of what they are missing. People with myopia often frown and screw up their eyes in an effort to see well and this may cause headaches. Very shortsighted children will sometimes hold reading material quite close. In their mid to late forties most people with good distance vision need reading spectacles, however many myopes can see close work clearly without a correction although their distance vision is blurry.

What causes Myopia?

Myopia usually appears between the age of five and puberty. Like other refractive errors myopia tends to be inherited but in no easily predictable way. The reason for this is that many different parts of the eye influence vision and it is not possible to say which of these are involved in any individual case. Although visual disorders caused by poorly focused vision are usually inherited, eyes with these simple myopia are capable of good vision and require no treatment apart from an optical correction. Corrective lenses shift the point of focus of light entering the eye until it falls exactly on the back of the eye (retina), giving clear vision.

Eyes become myopic if the focusing system of the eye is too strong for the length of that eye, or as is more often the case, the eye is too long for its optical power. However, most myopic eyes are healthy eyes.

Can vision be improved?

Spectacles do not make myopic eyes worse while for some very young children wearing spectacles is most important if vision is to develop normally. Spectacles merely allow the wearer to see more clearly and comfortably and their use is not habit forming. Many myopes also achieve good vision with contact lenses and may have the option of laser refractive surgery once their vision has stabilised.

Does Myopia change?

Since the size of the eyeball is the main factor in governing focus, and because the eyeball continues to grow until about age 25, it is common for shortsighted children to become more shortsighted as they grow up. Myopia cannot be prevented and will not go away. It usually increases during childhood and the teenage years to level off in the mid-twenties. Eyes do not go blind as a result of normal myopia. Most increases in short sightedness are normal changes that happen regardless of factors such as diet, vitamins, rest and exercises.

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