The causes, symptoms & treatments for nearsightedness (myopia)

What is myopia?

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a vision problem where a person can see nearby objects clearly but distant objects appear blurry.

Symptoms of myopia

When you have myopia, close-up tasks such as reading, looking at your phone or computer are easy, but tasks that require good distance vision, like reading road signs, can be difficult.

Without being treated for your myopia, you might find yourself squinting or straining your eyes in order to see. You may also experience headaches or feel tired when doing things like driving or playing sports.

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Causes of myopia

Myopia is the most common vision problem worldwide. There are several contributing factors to this vision problem, like lifestyle, genetics, and eye shape.

Generally, people with myopia have eyes that are longer in shape than usual. This prevents light rays from focusing correctly on the retina, making them converge at a point before - instead of on – it.


Risks of myopia

Untreated myopia can cause eye strain and even impair your or others’ safety, such as when you undertake activities like driving. Severe untreated myopia can lead to other serious risks as well. Since the shape of the eye is long and straining your eyes can exacerbate the shape, you can actually tear tissue, cause inflammation, glaucoma, early cataracts, and even retinal detachment.

However, there are many treatment options available that can help prevent these risks.

Myopia treatments

While glasses and contacts can mask the effects of myopia, LASIK MD has a variety of options designed for the long-term treatment of this condition. For example, during a LASIK procedure, the laser eye surgeon will use a precise laser to flatten the cornea. In turn, this correction allows light rays to focus directly onto the retina for clear vision.

Furthermore, if you have presbyopia (age-related up-close reading vision loss) and myopia, you could benefit from our Laser PresbyVision™ procedure.

With the number of people living with myopia worldwide predicted to jump from 1.4 billion to 4.8 billion by 2050, it is more important than ever to focus on finding long-term solutions that can deliver the best quality of life possible.

Based on your prescription, LASIK MD will determine the best customized vision solution to correct your vision problem. Curious to learn more? Download your free info kit now!