Myopia

Myopia, the technical term for nearsightedness, causes difficulty seeing faraway things, such as road signs and other distant objects. The condition occurs when the eyeball is slightly longer than usual from front to back, causing light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina.

Roughly one-third of the population is affected by myopia, which runs in families and usually appears during childhood. Myopia can stabilize, but can also worsen with age. Prescription changes are common among people with myopia.

Early warning signs of myopia include headaches, eyestrain, squinting and fatigue. These symptoms encourage a visit to an eye doctor for an initial eye exam or signal the need for a stronger prescription in already myopic people.

Myopia can be treated with eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery, which has the ability to completely eliminate symptoms of myopia. Different types of refractive surgery have been successful in treating myopia: photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), which removes a layer of corneal tissue; and LASIK, the most common surgery, which removes corneal tissue through a flap in the cornea, which is then dropped back into place. Two non-surgical procedures, orthokeratology and corneal refractive therapy, allow for the wear of special corneal lenses to correct the misshapen cornea.

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