About
Myopia is the inability of a person to see the distant objects clearly. It is also known as near sightedness or short sightedness.
Myopia is a condition where a person cannot see distant objects clearly. This vision problem is experienced by almost one-third of the population. Myopia affects men and women equally. It is often discovered in school children and becomes progressively worse through adolescence and stabilizes in early adulthood.
For proper eyesight, the cornea (the clear window in front of the eye) and the lens (behind the pupil) of the eye must properly focus or ‘refract’ light onto the retina (the light sensitive layer at the back of the eye).
Myopia occurs if the eyeball is too long or the cornea has too much curvature. Therefore, the light entering the eye is not focused correctly and distant objects appear to be blurred.
The exact cause of myopia is unknown. However, the following factors can contribute to the development of myopia-
- Heredity
- Improper reading habits
The most common symptom of myopia is difficulty seeing distant objects like a movie or TV screen or the blackboard in school.
Myopia can be diagnosed by a simple vision test. A myopic has problem reading the Snellen eye chart.
Myopia can be corrected with the help of eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.
