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Introduction
Myopia refers to the ability to see near objects
clearly and perfectly, while at the same time there is
difficulty perceiving distant objects. People with
myopia see objects more clearly when they are close to
the eye, while distant objects appear blurred or
fuzzy.
Causes
Most nearsightedness is caused by a natural change
in the shape of the eyeball that makes the eyeball
oval rather than round. Less often, nearsightedness
may be caused by a change in the cornea or the lens.
Symptoms
The main symptom of nearsightedness is blurred
vision when looking at distant objects. You may have
trouble clearly seeing images or words on a
blackboard, movie screen, or television. Other
symptoms of myopia are eye discomfort, squinting, and
eye strain.
Treatment
People with myopia have three main options for
treatment: eyeglasses, contact lenses, and for those
who meet certain criteria, refractive eye surgery.
Eyeglasses are the most common method used to
correct myopia. Concave glass or plastic lenses are
placed in frames in front of the eyes. The lenses are
ground to the thickness and curvature specified in the
eyeglass prescription. The lenses cause the light rays
to diverge so that they focus further back, directly
on the retina, producing clear distance vision.
A wide variety of contact lenses are available, ask
your eye doctor about their pros and cons and what
might be best for you.
Surgery can also be done to change the shape of the
cornea or to implant artificial lenses in the eyes to
reduce or fix nearsightedness.
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