Nearsightedness is the most common impaired vision usually seen in people under the age of 40. It is also known as myopia.
Symptoms of Nearsightedness:
Nearsightedness is usually seen in adults and children. The most common symptom of myopia is, when a person is unable to see distant objects clearly. People with nearsightedness usually have difficulty in reading signboards while driving a vehicle. They also face frequent headaches due to strain that develops in the eyes while concentrating on distant objects. They also have fatigue when they are involved in any physical activity. As the nearsightedness increases their vision starts to become blurrier. These people can easily read or see objects placed close to themselves. Children tend to sit near the screens for better viewing as they are unable to view the screen when kept at a particular distance. They also tend to blink excessively and persistently squint in order to view things in their surroundings. The effect of myopia may increase in a person if proper precautions are not taken.
Causes of Nearsightedness :
Nearsightedness is not a hereditary disease but parents affected with myopia have higher chances that their child would also be affected with myopia. Nearsightedness is caused due to improper arrangement of either cornea or the lens. The cornea is the part of the eye that has a dome shape, is clear and is placed in front of the surface of the eye whereas, a lens is present inside the eye and is used to refract the light that eyeballs receive. The cornea and lens help in the image formation at the surface of the retina. People suffering from nearsightedness have their image being formed in front of the retina rather than on the surface of the retina. This is caused due to enlarged eyeballs which decrease the focusing power of the cornea and lens and leads to error in image formation. Nearsightedness can also be caused due to either cornea or lens being too curved when compared to the length of the eyeball. Sometimes myopia may be caused due to both factors. When light is focused in front of the retina then the image formation results in a blurry appearance for objects placed at a distance.
Parents suffering from myopia have higher chances of having children with the same disease. As the disease is not hereditary the chances of children having nearsightedness is equally likely. Some children have myopia at an early age but as they reach adulthood the nearsightedness does not worsen and stabilizes itself. In some cases, the vision may worsen as the age of the person progresses. Nearsightedness is also believed to be caused due to longer screen time and not spending much time in outdoor activities.
Person suffering from nearsightedness has frequent headaches as they have to squint their eyes for better viewing. The chances of contracting cataracts, glaucoma and myopic maculopathy increases if the severity of myopia increases. Having other health problems like diabetes also leads to nearsightedness in such people. It is necessary to visit the ophthalmologist if any symptom of myopia can be noticed.
How to treat myopia?
The treatment of nearsightedness includes various methods through which the vision of a person can be improved and light can be focused on the surface of the retina. To achieve this goal the most common treatment is the use of lenses. Wearing appropriate lenses helps in nearsightedness by correcting the curvature of the cornea or the lens present in the eye. This can be done by wearing eyeglasses. Eyeglasses are the most commonly used device to correct vision. They can be bifocal, trifocal and also can be multifocal. They are comfortable to wear by children as well as adults. Contact lenses are also used by some people in order to correct their eyesight. Contact lenses are applied directly to the eyeballs. They come in a wide range of variety of materials and designs. They may also cause irritation and itching in the eyes. Before using contact lenses, one should take suggestions from a doctor about it. Other than these two, refractive surgery is also used to correct the vision of the nearsighted people. In refractive surgery, laser light beams are used to alter the shape of the cornea. LASIK surgery is considered the best refractive surgery. In this surgery, the surgeon makes a thin flap on the cornea of the eyes and removes some layers of the cornea in order to flatten its curve or dome shape. It causes less discomfort and also recovering from the surgery doesn’t take much time. LASEK is another refractive surgery used for nearsightedness. In this surgery reshaping and flattening of the dome-shaped cornea is done. The photoreactive keratectomy (PRK) is similar to LASEK but in this, the epithelium is completely removed and the cornea is reshaped. After surgery, the epithelium grows back naturally. Refractive surgery is done only when nearsightedness of a person is stable. So, you should talk to your doctor before taking the option of getting surgery.
In order to slow the effect of nearsightedness, you could ask the doctor to prescribe some medications or eye drops like atropine which will slow down the progression of nearsightedness. Increase the time of the outdoor activity as it slows down the progression of myopia in children. Exposure to sunlight helps to maintain the structure of the cornea and also keeps it in proper shape. Dual focal lenses can be used by the children aged between 8 to 12 years as it helps in slowing down the progression of nearsightedness.
Precautionary care :
Eliminating the disease is near to impossible for nearsighted people but proper care can help them in stabilizing its effect. Slowing down the progression of nearsightedness may not cure the disease fully but has been effective in stabilizing it.
- People having nearsightedness should go for regular check-ups.
- Having health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure causes deterioration in the eyesight. In order to prevent that proper care of health needs to be done.
- Sunglasses should be worn when travelling in the sun as it will block the harmful UV-rays from reaching the eyes.
- Protective eye gear should be worn in order to prevent any eye injuries.
- Green vegetables and lots of fruits should be eaten in order to improve eyesight. Eating omega-3 fatty acids also helps in improving the nearsightedness of a person.
- Reducing the amount of screen time can be of great help. People doing work on laptops should look away from the screen for 20 seconds and should always take a break after half an hour.
- Visiting a doctor is necessary if the symptoms of nearsightedness worsen, as it may be due to some underlying diseases.
To seek advice related to nearsightedness one could contact an ophthalmologist, an optometrist or an optician. An ophthalmologist is a specialist with a doctor of medicines and specializes in eye evaluations and eye disorders. They also perform refractive surgery. An optometrist is a trained person in the field of eye evaluations and helps in providing corrective lenses. An optician is a specialist who provides eyeglasses and lenses based on the prescription written by the ophthalmologist or optometrist. Opticians do not diagnose or perform eye surgery. Above mentioned points can help you out when you make your next appointment with the specialist.
The best way to treat your eyes is to visit your eye care professional and get your eyes checked regularly. He will be able to assess the best method of treatment for your eye ailment.Visit our website Eyemantra.To book an appointment call at +91-8851044355. Or mail us at eyemantra1@gmail.com.Our other services include Retina Surgery, Specs Removal, Cataract Surgery, and many more.
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