Introduction
Many people have complaints of seeing blurry objects which are at some distance. These people are able to see the things when they are near. The condition is called myopia and is also known as nearsightedness or short sightedness. It is a common vision defect of the eye. It occurs when the image of a distant object is formed in front of the retina instead of on the retina. It results in a blurry appearance of the distant object.
Myopia gets worse as age advances and when it develops from early childhood. It can increase gradually or rapidly. It tends to pass from generation to generation. The risk of developing nearsightedness is increased if one of your parents is nearsighted. The risk of nearsightedness is still higher when both the parents are nearsighted.
What Is Myopia?
Myopia is a condition in which distant objects are not focused properly on the retina causing hazy vision and is correctable with concave lenses. The symptoms of nearsightedness are common and easy to understand by simple eye examination. The symptoms include
Blurry vision while looking at the objects from a far distance
Need to squeeze your eyes to see clearly from a distance
Eyestrain
Headaches
Difficulty in seeing while driving a car or bike
Myopia is a usual condition among children & it can be easily diagnosed by the symptoms that appear in early age .The symptoms may include
Excessive blinking
Difficulty in watching television, movie screen from a distance or sitting in front while studying in the classroom
Frequent Rubbing of the eyes
What Are The Causes Of Myopia?
Myopia is a refractive error in which the eye cannot focus the incoming light accurately on the retina. A myopic affected eye focuses light in front of the retina instead of focusing on it. The light rays cannot refract properly and cause a refractive error.
The eye has the cornea and the lens to focus the image onto the retina which is the light sensitive layer of the eye .Each of these focusing elements has a perfectly smooth curvature to bend or refract the incident light. A perfect shape of the cornea is required to form the image clearly and directly on the retina.
Myopia or nearsightedness occurs when the curvature of the cornea is compromised and image formation takes place in front of the retina. The person has difficulty seeing the objects at a distance & the distant images appear blurred.
Tips To Slow Down The Progression Of Myopia
A complete eye exam can diagnose nearsightedness which includes a dilated eye examination. It is a part of eye examination and involves before and after dilated eye checkup to get the correct eyeglass prescription. There are various ways to slow down the progression of myopia. Some of them are:
Put your phone away and try to engage in outdoor activities. It can protect your eyes from excessive device usage and keeps your eye and body fit.
Eyeglasses and contact lenses/corrective lenses
These devices contribute to clear the vision affected by the elongation of the eyeball or increase in curvature of your cornea. The devices can shift the focus of the incident Light to the exact nodal point on the retina. It depends on the eye examination whether you need to wear corrective lenses all the time or for a specific activity such as driving or reading in the classroom.
Topical eye drop medication with 0.1% Atropine drops administered once at night under close supervision of the eye doctor can prevent myopia progression in children in the growing phase and in whom there is an increase in myopia between quarterly or half yearly eye checkups.
Refractive surgery
Refractive surgery also referred to as laser eye surgery. The procedure includes reshaping the cornea to focus light on the retina. It is a permanent solution to remove contact lenses or eyeglasses. It is done to treat myopia in individuals above 18 years of age.
Lifestyle and home remedies also contribute in reducing the progression of nearsightedness. You can take the following preventions to slow down the progression of nearsightedness
Regular eye examination
Use of good lighting while studying or other works requiring near focus.
Wearing prescribed corrective lenses
Wear UV protected sunglasses
Take frequent breaks while using a digital device for long hours
Maintain blood pressure and diabetes
Proper exercise to reduce eyestrain
Consume healthy supplements like omega-3 fatty acids and vegetables.
Stop smoking
Keep children away from television or smartphone
Conclusion
Myopia can reduce the quality of life. You are not able to perform activities as you want because of limited or blur vision. You can prevent nearsightedness by adding various habits to your lifestyle like exercise, avoiding electronic devices. You can consult with your doctor and choose your eye wears accordingly. To get rid of eyeglasses or contact lenses permanently, you can go for a procedure such as refractive eye surgery.
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