Nearsightedness or Myopia is such a condition in which objects nearby can be seen clearly but objects farther away seem to be blurry. Nearsightedness may be developed gradually or instantly in some of the cases, it also gets worsened during childhood and adolescence. It is the condition that tends to exist in families.
It is not difficult to diagnose nearsightedness and it can be confirmed easily with an eye exam. This can be corrected by using contact lenses or eyeglasses. Another option for its treatment is Lasik Surgery. Nearsightedness exists if the eyeball gets too long or the cornea gets curved. Consequently, the light entering the eye is not completely focused by making the distant objects look blurred.
Symptoms of Nearsightedness
The symptoms of Nearsightedness include:
- Headaches due to eye strain
- To see clearly need to squint or close the eyelids partially
- When looking at the distant objects, vision gets blurred
- Difficulty to see while driving a vehicle especially at night
Nearsightedness may be detected during childhood and it is diagnosed during school years. A child with nearsightedness may have the following symptoms:
- Blinking in excess
- Rubbing eyes often
- Unable to see objects farther
- Requirement to sit near the TV or the front of the classroom
- Squint in continuation
Causes for Nearsightedness
What Causes Myopia?
The structure of your eye has to be blamed for Myopia. If your eyeball is too long and the outer layer of your eye is much curved, the light entering your eye will not focus efficiently. The images concentrate in the front of the retina which is the light-sensitive part of the eye, despite directly on the retina. This leads to blurred vision and the term used by doctors for this is a refractive error and you must cure myopia before it gets worse.
HIGH MYOPIA
It is a quite serious type of condition; in this the eyeball grows more than it is required to be and becomes longer front to back. It even makes things hard to see when at distance. It may also increase the probability to suffer from other issues such as cataracts, retina, and glaucoma.
DEGENERATIVE MYOPIA
It is also known as malignant or pathological myopia and is a rare type usually inherited from parents. In this, the eyeball gets longer quickly and leads to severe myopia. This type of myopia gets worsened into childhood. At distance, you could have more chances to have a detached retina, glaucoma, and growth of abnormal blood vessels.
Complications
Nearsightedness is linked with certain complications from mild to severe, like:
- INFLUENCED QUALITY OF LIFE
Incorrect nearsightedness could influence the quality of life. You could not be able to perform certain tasks of your wish. The unlimited vision could detract you to enjoy regular activities.
- EYESTRAIN
You could be squinting or could a feel strain on your eyes while maintaining focus. This may result in headaches and eyestrain.
- IMPAIRED SAFETY
Yours and other safety could be ruined if you have an incorrect vision problem. This could be quite serious if you drive a car or operate heavy equipment.
- FINANCIAL BURDEN
The cost incurred on corrective lenses, medical treatments, and eye exams could add up with some chronic conditions like nearsightedness. Less vision or even loss of vision may influence income capability in some situations.
Treatment of Nearsightedness
The basic goal for the treatment of nearsightedness is to cure myopia by enhancing vision by assisting to concentrate on your retina by making use of corrective lenses or refractive surgery.
Treating nearsightedness also includes monitoring complications of glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal detachments.
Prescription lenses
Nearsightedness can be treated by wearing corrective lenses by counteracting enhanced curvature of the cornea of increased length of the eye. The types of prescription lenses involve:
- Eyeglasses
This is the simple and the safest method to sharpen the vision caused by nearsightedness. The distinct quality of eyeglass lenses is quite wider and involves single vision, trifocals, bifocals, and multifocal.
- Contact Lenses
Such lenses are worn on the eyes and are available in a variety of materials like soft and rigid in combination with spherical, multifocal, and toric designs. You may consult your doctor about the pros and cons of such lenses and the best for you
Refractive surgery
This surgery lowers the requirement for eyeglasses and contact lenses. Your eye surgeon makes use of a laser beam to shape the cornea that results in lowering nearsighted prescription. You could be required to use eyeglasses after surgery for some time. These surgeries are:
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)
Laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK).
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).
When to Visit a Doctor
If you have enough difficulty to see far away things clearly and you can’t perform a task of your wish and the bad quality of your vision detracts you from enjoying activities, you must see a doctor. He may examine how much your nearsightedness has been affected and will give you certain options to correct your vision.
You must also get medical care in an emergency if:
- There are flashes of light that appear in either one or both eyes
- There appears a curtain like a shadow over the visual field
- There appears some floaters suddenly which are the tiny specks that drift through the field of vision
There are some warning symptoms like retinal detachment (that is a complication in Myopia), this is also a medical emergency.
Regular Eye Examination
It will always be not vivid that you have certain vision issues, Ophthalmologists recommends the following intervals for eye exams:
Children and adolescents
The vision of children must be tested by paediatrician as they are required to be screened for eye disease at the following ages:
- 6 months
- 3 years
- Before they enter into first grade and every two years in duration of their school
ADULTS
You must go for a dilated eye examination every one year at the age of 40 if you are at higher risk of eye disease like glaucoma during the following intervals:
- After every 5 to 10 years if you are in 20s or 30s
- After every 2 to 4 years if you are in 40s or till 54
- After every 1 to 3 years if you are at 55 to 64
- After every 1 to 2 years if you are 60+
If you are suffering from diabetes or you wear glasses or contacts, you are required to have your eye examination on a regular basis. Ask your doctor about how often you are required to schedule the appointments to cure nearsightedness. However, if you rectify any issue with your vision, book an appointment with your eye doctor, even if you recently had an eye exam.
