Myopia

Index

1. What is myopia?
2. Prognosis
3. Symptoms of myopia
4. Causes
5. Can it be prevented?
6. How is myopia treated?
7. What specialist treats myopia?

What is myopia?

Myopia is an optical refractive defect produced by biological variations that cause a failure in the correlation between the components of the eye: corneal curvature, power of the crystalline lens, depth of the anterior chamber and axial length.

We can distinguish two types of myopia:

• Simple myopia: this is the most common and is usually less than 6 diopters. It cannot be prevented and is corrected with glasses, contact lenses or surgery.
• Magna myopia, high myopia or pathological myopia: higher than 6 diopters. It is usually caused by excessive elongation of the eyeball. Sometimes this type of myopia can lead to degenerative changes. It is believed to be hereditary.

Prognosis of myopia

The earlier myopia is detected and treated, the better the prognosis. Although it is true that myopia is not a particularly serious disease, if it is not detected and treated in time, it can have consequences.

The use of contact lenses due to myopia can lead to corneal ulcers, pain…

Symptoms of myopia

Myopia can occur in childhood as well as in adulthood, although it tends to stabilize after the age of 18. It can also be associated with other pathologies, such as astigmatism and presbyopia.

It manifests with blurred vision of distant objects. There may also be headaches, visual fatigue and having to move closer to objects or squint to see them. –

Blurred vision is one of the signs of myopia.

What are the causes of myopia?

Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long compared to the focusing power of the cornea and lens. This causes light rays to focus on a point in front of the retina instead of directly on its surface.

This optical defect can also be caused by the cornea, lens or both being too curved for the length of the eyeball.

Can it be prevented?

Simple myopia is not preventable. In recent years an increase in this pathology has been detected, which could be related to the use of computers and other practices that involve prolonged use of near vision.

What does the treatment consist of?

Depending on the degree of myopia, it can be treated in different ways. A distinction can be made between three methods of treatment: prescription lenses, refractive surgery and conservative methods.

• Prescription lenses. These are corrective lenses used to treat myopia, counteracting the excess curvature of the cornea or the length of the eye.
  • Glasses or spectacles. This is the simplest method of correcting nearsightedness.
  • Contact lenses. These are small lenses that are placed over the eyes.
• Refractive surgery. Refractive surgery is a type of surgery that allows avoiding the use of contact lenses and glasses, using laser technology.
  • LASIK eye surgery.
  • LASEK: Laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy.
  • PRK laser.
• Conservative methods. There are certain ways to slow or stop the progression of myopia, without being treatments that solve the problem. For example, atropine, dual focus contact lenses or orthokeratology.

Who treats myopia?

The person in charge of diagnosing and treating myopia is the ophthalmologist.