If you are having trouble seeing things at a distance, chances are you have myopia, or nearsightedness. Those who are nearsighted can see well up close but have great difficulty seeing objects that are farther away. Widely believed to be a genetic trait, myopia can easily be treated with various options.
Myopia Symptoms and Diagnosis
More commonly referred to as
nearsightedness, myopia is one of the easier refractive errors to spot. The main symptom of myopia is the inability to see objects at a distance. People who are nearsighted can often be found squinting in order to focus on an object. This may result in eyestrain and possibly headaches as well.
A visual acuity test, where the person is asked to read lines from an eye chart, is the best diagnostic tool for myopia. Additionally, your ophthalmologist is likely to have you look through a special device in order to assess your degree of myopia. Through this device, the
ophthalmologist will change lenses back and forth and ask you to determine which lens gives you better vision. Once decided, you may be asked to read the eye chart again to see if that is the right prescription to correct your current vision.
Myopia Treatment Options
For years, eyeglasses or contact lenses were some of the only options in treating myopia. Now,
refractive surgery can correct myopia and reduce or completely eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses.
Since wearing glasses or contact lenses is non-invasive, many patients still opt for this treatment method. Patients, who are still growing, such as young children and teenagers, should choose this option since their prescription will likely change as they get older. And with more fashionable frames and thinner lenses, eyeglasses can also be a popular fashion accessory while still helping you see clearly.
Refractive surgery, such as
LASIK,
PRK, and
LASEK, uses laser technology to reshape the cornea to improve blurred vision. The implantation of
phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs), including the
Visian ICLTM and the
VerisyseTM phakic IOL, is another option for correcting severe myopia. LASIK is, by far, the most popular refractive surgery available and can be completed in 15 minutes. Complications are rare, and the surgical procedures can often improve vision to 20/40 and, many times, even 20/20.