Myopia in Children

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is one of the most common refractive errors, experienced by roughly one-third of the population. Often children are diagnosed with myopia, which results in difficulty seeing distant objects, once they reach school age and have a hard time reading the chalkboard. A basic eye exam will accurately diagnose the severity of the problem.

Usually an inherited condition, myopia exists when the cornea is steeper or the eyeball is longer than usual from front to back. This condition forces the light rays that enter the eye to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it, which allows for close-up vision, but inhibits vision from a distance.

Children with myopia will often have to squint to see things far away. Depending on the child's age at the time of diagnosis, treatment may vary. Most children with myopia have their vision corrected with eyeglasses until they become old enough for contact lenses. Laser surgery is a treatment for older people with myopia. Some people with myopia only need vision correction when performing activities that require faraway vision, such as viewing the chalkboard, playing sports, watching a movie or driving. However, because myopia worsens with age, it may eventually become necessary to wear glasses or contacts all the time.

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