Common Eye Conditions & Vision Challenges

Myopia / Nearsighted

What is Myopia?

Nearsightedness or Myopia is the vision condition of seeing near objects clearly, but seeing things farther away unclearly or blurred. Someone may squint in an attempt to see faces, signs, or other objects more clearly. The terms nearsighted or short-sighted imply that someone can clearly see things that are near.

Myopia is a condition in which the eye is too powerful, too strong at converging light rays to the retina or back or the eye. It usually develops because a person has practiced holding a near focal point – a screen or book for many hours.

Myopia can be a genetic or inherited trait but is most associated with daily life habits and environment. Children and adults who spend many hours each day focusing on books, computer screens, and smartphones are highly likely to develop myopia. A myopia condition can grow more expreme over time. 

Severe myopia can also impair near vision and can lead to long term eye damage as well. Nearsightedness changes the physical shape and the makeup of the eye. Highly myopic eyes tend to elongate the corna (front of the eye) and can stretch the retina. This can be tied to glaucoma and detached retinas.  This is one of the reasons why our doctors recommend examine your retina routinely so that they can detect and treat retinal problems before they progress further.

Myopic vision can be easily be managed with prescription glasses or contact lenses. These lenses “correct” vision of what we see by compensating for the shape an eye to slightly lessen the converging power of the eye. This is refered to as a “divergent” or concave lenses.

Therapeutic Treatments & Eyewear

Atropine

Atropine has been used for more than one hundred years to treat and manage myopia.  Eye drops with a very low dillution of Atropine OC Eye Designs Optometry can utilize Atropine for children as young as 4 years of age.

ATROPINE