Nearsightedness, also known as myopia is a condition in which an individual’s eye can see closer objects clearly but distant objects appear blurry.
Myopia is a very common eye condition that can affect people of any age group due to many reasons.
Furthermore, it can be treated easily with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or through refractive surgeries.
Here, we will talk about myopia and its treatment options in detail.
What Are the Symptoms and Causes of Nearsightedness?
Nearsightedness may occur gradually or rapidly depending on the cause. But once the condition starts to develop, it will get worse with age.
Generally, myopia is diagnosed at an early age when children are in school through obvious symptoms, like:
- Persistent squinting of eyes
- Sitting closer to the TV or black/whiteboard in the classroom
- Unawareness of distant objects
- Excessive blinking
- Frequent rubbing of eyes
Along with the above-mentioned symptoms, adults may notice the following signs:
- Blurry vision while looking at distant objects
- Need to close the eyes slightly to focus on objects
- Headaches caused due to eyestrain
- Difficulty in seeing while driving
If your vision is affected by myopia to an extent that you are unable to perform even the basic activities of the day, you should go and visit an eye doctor.
The doctor will perform routine eye exams to determine how severely your vision is affected due to nearsightedness.
The diagnosis will also allow the doctor to narrow down the causes of the vision loss. The most common causes of myopia involve:
- When the eyeball is too long or the cornea gets too curved, the eye’s ability to focus light on the retina is affected resulting in blurry vision.
- Genetics also plays a major role in causing myopia. If one or both of your parents are nearsighted, there is a high possibility that you will also develop nearsightedness at an early age.
- Environmental factors, such as lack of sunlight, deficiency of vitamins in the diet, etc. also increases the risk of developing myopia.
If you have symptoms of myopia, schedule a visit to nearby eye specialists like Pristyn Care and get your eyes checked up.
Who to Consult for Nearsightedness Treatment?
It is best to consult an ophthalmologist for treatment of nearsightedness. They are the expert in diagnosing and treating all kinds of eye conditions, both surgically and non-surgically.
Unlike an ophthalmologist, an optometrist can only diagnose and treat common eye disorders and an optician can only provide you the prescribed eyeglasses or lenses.
You can get in touch with Pristyn Care as they have a dedicated team of eye specialists.
Their ophthalmologists are highly experienced and provide the most advanced treatment for myopia and other eye-related disorders.
What Are the Treatment Options for Nearsightedness (Myopia)?
The primary goal of myopia treatment is to improve vision by focusing the light directly on the retina. It can be done through corrective lenses or by performing refractive surgery.
The treatment of myopia also involves regular monitoring to avoid complications, such as glaucoma, cataracts, damage to central retinal areas, retinal tears, detachments, and cataracts.
Prescription Lenses
In the earlier stages of nearsightedness, the eye doctors usually suggest wearing corrective lenses to counteract the curvature of the cornea or the increased length of the eyeball.
Prescription lenses include:
Eyeglasses:
It is the most common method for treating myopia. The ophthalmologist will diagnose your eye and provide a prescription.
The optometrist will help you get custom eyeglasses with proper prescriptions to sharpen your vision in a simple and safe way.
You can get eyeglasses that include single vision, bifocals, trifocals, and progressive multifocal too.
Contact lenses:
These are lenses that are worn right over the eyes. Contact lenses come in a wide variety of materials, designs, and even colors.
Many people choose to wear contact lenses to avoid wearing glasses. You only need to ask the doctor for a prescription and the best choice for lenses.
Refractive Surgery
Eye disorders like myopia can also be treated using surgical methods. There are various technologies developed that can help people to achieve a healthy vision.
Some common surgical treatment methods for myopia involve:
- Laser-assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)is a laser-based procedure where the surgeon removes the corneal flap little by little to fix the corneal curve. Before suggesting this treatment method, the doctors always make sure that you are an ideal candidate for LASIK surgery.
- Laser-assisted subepithelial Keratectomy (LASEK)is the procedure where the surgeon creates an ultra-thin flap in the outer protective cover, i.e., epithelium of the cornea. The laser is then used to reshape the cornea and flatten its curve. Once the cornea is adjusted, the epithelium is replaced afterward.
- Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)is a procedure that is very similar to LASEK. The key difference is that the surgeon completely removes the epithelium of the cornea and reshapes it. The epithelium is not replaced but allowed to grow back naturally according to the new shape of the cornea.
Along with surgical procedures, the doctors suggest several other methods for slow down or stop the progression of myopia over time. Some methods that work effectively include:
- Topical medicines like atropine
- Spending time outside and under the sun help maintain the normal shape of the cornea.
- Dual focus contact lenses are also helpful in the progression of nearsightedness.
- Orthokeratology is another treatment method where the individual has to wear rigid, gas permeable contact lenses for several hours a day to even out the curvature of the cornea.
The Bottom Line
Given the fact that myopia or nearsightedness can be caused due to genetics, it is hard to avoid the condition completely.
Fortunately, myopia doesn’t cause further problems in the eye in most cases.
If you suffer from myopia and the condition is getting worse rapidly, notify your eye doctor and consult them properly to get the best treatment.
Delaying treatment for nearsightedness is never advisable as myopia can become severe and lead to additional eye problems or even vision loss.
Consult an ophthalmologist near you today and explore your treatment options.
