Myopic

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a common type of refractive error where close objects appear clearly, but distant objects appear blurry. It occurs when the shape of your eye causes light rays to bend (refract) incorrectly, focusing the images in front of the retina instead of directly on the retina.

Causes

Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long, relative to the focusing power of the cornea and lens of the eye. This causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface. Myopia can also be caused by the cornea and/or lens being too curved for the length of the eyeball. In some cases, myopia is due to a combination of these factors.

Symptoms

People with myopia may have symptoms such as:

• Difficulty seeing distant objects
• Squinting
• Eye strain
• Headaches
• Feeling fatigued when driving or playing sports

Diagnosis

Myopia is diagnosed by a basic eye examination. A variety of tests may be performed, including having the patient read from an eye chart. The eye care professional will also use devices that can estimate and measure the amount of refractive error.

Treatment

Treatment for myopia may include:

• Eyeglasses or contact lenses
• Orthokeratology
• Refractive surgery

See also

• Hyperopia
• Astigmatism
• Presbyopia

References

Myopic Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? WikiMD's DocFinder can help find general and specialist physicians.	Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials.