Myopia is a state of nearsightedness, in which you can see close objects quite clearly, but distant ones appear blurry. This condition comes about when your eye’s shape bends or distorts the light rays incorrectly. Due to this, images focus in front of your retina instead of on it.
Symptoms
Although symptoms of myopia vary per person, there are some typical ones you can look out for. These include:
- Difficulty reading
- Difficulty recognizing or seeing objects in the distance clearly
- Having to squint your eyes for a clear and better vision
- Experiencing frequent eye strain and headaches.
Like we mentioned, the symptoms vary per person and can start at different ages. Most develop it during puberty, and it worsens as the eye fully grows. Any suspicion or observation of the symptoms mentioned above in yourself or your loved ones, including children, calls for a quick eye test.
This will help you determine the problem in its early stages, and a contact lens prescription or eyeglasses will correct the vision before it is too late.
Causes
Myopia happens when a person’s eyeball is unusually long. This abnormal length has a negative impact on the lens focus and cornea. Because of this, the vision distorts, and objects in the distance appear unclear and foggy because the light rays focus on the front of the retina instead of its surface as it should.
While there is no clear information on why the eyeball grows abnormally, we know of certain other factors contributing to myopia. Heredity is one such factor; hence it could be possible to suffer short-sightedness if it runs in the family.
Putting significant strain on your eye both indoors and outdoors is another reason. If you spend disproportionate amounts of time on the computer, reading, or writing, you can develop myopia.
Risks
Typically, eye specialists diagnose myopia between eight to twelve years of age. Since the eyes are in growth during this period, it is normal for the eye shape to change. It is common for adults to remain nearsighted for life if they had developed this condition since childhood and left it untreated.
Apart from this, certain health conditions, including diabetes, can also cause short-sightedness in people. Visual stress is a big risk too. People can develop eyestrain from too much pressure on their eyes, such as using a computer or reading for too long.
Final Thoughts
Myopia occurs due to a refractive error. When your eye does not focus on the light correctly, you become nearsighted, with distant objects appearing unclear and blurry. Typically, this condition’s diagnosis must happen between the early years of life because correcting vision is better. The common treatment options for myopia include corrective lenses, refractive surgery, and corneal refractive therapy, depending on the severity of your vision problem.
