Do you have Myopia (Nearsightedness)?

Do I need glasses? …is a question which crosses our mind at some point of time. This realization may come at any age. We may realize it when we are unable to see the blackboard or a projector slide clearly, or unable to read the small headline on the T.V screen. In some cases it presents with headaches which are increasing in frequency & severity. Presentations may vary from tiredness, exhaustion, not feeling like opening your eyes, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, frequent migraine attacks or recurrent eye or lid infections. Now cause can be …

MYOPIA
Myopia or nearsightedness is one of the common problems of eyesight. The statistics show that almost one third of the population is suffering from myopia. As the name suggests, it is a condition in which the person cannot see distant objects clearly but are able to see near objects clearly.

In the people suffering from myopia the eyeball is slightly longer from front to the back (axial length) or cornea has more curvature and this is why the light rays don’t focus properly on the surface of the retina. There can be increase in myopia with time. Regular yearly complete eye check-up is required.

Myopia has various classifications... mild, moderate or severe / axial or refractive (curvature, index)/ simple, degenerative, nocturnal, pseudo or induced myopia/congenital, youth or adult onset myopia. Some cases the eyeballs are very elongated ones and thus the myopia is considered as severe. This condition is known as pathologic myopia or degenerative myopia. People suffering from high myopia may experience floaters, flashes of lights, poor vision even after correction with glasses & have a higher tendency of retinal detachment. They should avoid body sports, direct blow injury to eye & heavy weight lifting. Regular eye checkups & retina examination is must for early detection & treatment of various associated eye diseases in all myopias. Uncontrolled diabetics may experience an increase in myopia. Some patients with cataract also experience increase in myopia due to hardening of lens. Myopia can run in families, so myopic parents should get their children eye check-up regularly. There are various treatments by which myopia can be corrected. Among all other ways of correcting myopia, using minus or concave eyeglasses and contact lenses is the most popular way of treating myopia.

For some individuals, contact lenses can offer better vision than eyeglasses. They may provide clearer vision and a wider field of view. However, since contact lenses are worn directly on the eyes, they require appropriate fitting, regular cleaning & care to safeguard eye health.

Orthokeratology (Ortho-k), also known as corneal refractive therapy, involves the fitting of a series of rigid contact lenses to reshape the cornea, the front outer surface of the eye. The contact lenses are worn daily for limited periods, such as overnight, and then removed. Persons with moderate amounts of nearsightedness may be able to temporarily obtain clear vision for most of their daily activities.

Nearsightedness can also be corrected by reshaping the cornea using a laser beam of light. Two commonly used procedures are photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

In PRK, a laser is used to remove a thin layer of tissue from the surface of the cornea in order to change its shape and refocus light entering the eye. There is a limit to how much tissue can safely be removed and therefore the amount of nearsightedness that can be corrected.

LASIK does not remove tissue from the surface of the cornea, but from its inner layers. To do this, a section of the outer corneal surface is cut and folded back to expose the inner tissue. Then a laser is used to remove the precise amount of corneal tissue needed to reshape the eye, and then the flap of outer tissue is placed back in position to heal. The amount of nearsightedness that LASIK can correct is limited by the amount of corneal tissue that can be removed in a safe manner. LASIK does not change the inner structure of eye; hence yearly complete eye checkup is advised.

People who are highly nearsighted or whose corneas are too thin to allow the use of laser procedures now have another option. They may be able to have their nearsightedness surgically corrected by implanting small lenses (phakic IOL) in their eyes. These intraocular lenses provide the needed optical correction directly inside the eye.

Vision therapy is an option for people whose blurred distance vision is caused by a spasm of the muscles which control eye focusing. Various eye exercises can be used to improve poor eye focusing ability and regain clear distance vision.

People with nearsightedness have a variety of options to correct their vision problem. In consultation with your eye specialist, you can select the treatment that best meets your  visual and lifestyle needs.