When Blurred Vision Gets in the Way

Nearsightedness defined

Myopia is an eye condition where the eyeball is too long for the cornea’s and the lens’ ability to focus, making it difficult to clearly see from afar. The condition can also happen when the eyes’ cornea and lens are too curved relative to the eyeball’s length. Myopia can be inherited and generally starts in childhood, particularly between ages 8-12.

What are the symptoms?
Nearsighted persons have blurred distance vision and are likely to squint their eyes frequently. More often than not, someone afflicted with myopia also experiences frequent eye strains or headaches.

How to treat myopia

A professional eye doctor will diagnose the degree of nearsightedness by means of a comprehensive eye exam. The blurred vision can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.

Eyeglasses and contact lens prescription will typically be preceded by a minus sign to indicate the degree of nearsightedness. Essentially, a higher number means that you are more nearsighted and you may need to wear your glasses or contact lenses all the time.

While surgical procedures are deemed to be more expensive, they can lessen the need for contacts or glasses. Laser technology or manual incisions are used to remove small amounts of corneal tissue to allow light rays to better focus on the retina.