Myopia
Short sightedness, or myopia is a common condition that makes it difficult to see objects in the distance clearly. Myopia is a refractive error that occurs when the eyeball is too long. With normal vision, light enters the eye and comes to focus on the retina. Myopia causes the light waves from distant objects to focus in front of the retina instead of on it. This results in anything viewed from afar to appear blurry or distorted.
Short sightedness is usually noticed in childhood. Early signs in children include difficulty focusing on the board at school, sitting close to the television, holding reading material close to the face, squinting and less commonly, headaches and eye strain. Though normally detected in the early childhood years, myopia can develop later, during the teens or early twenties.
Short sightedness can affect children’s learning ability and self confidence so it is important to have their eyes checked before they start school or at any time symptoms are noticed. The condition can be diagnosed by your optometrist using a standard eye chart test.
Prescription glasses are the most common treatment used to correct short sightedness in children. Options for older patients include contact lenses, Ortho K overnight contact lenses or refractive laser surgery.
Short sightedness can affect children’s learning ability and self confidence so it is important to have their eyes checked before they start school or at any time symptoms are noticed. The condition can be diagnosed by your optometrist using a standard eye chart test.
Prescription glasses are the most common treatment used to correct short sightedness in children. Options for older patients include contact lenses, Ortho K overnight contact lenses or refractive laser surgery.