What is Myopia?
What is myopia?
Myopia is the problem of not being able to see far away clearly. When the lens is unable to focus, it has difficulty seeing distant objects and signs but can see nearby objects. Myopia is one of the most common visual field defects, it usually appears at school age and increases in adulthood.
What does myopia mean?
Myopia is a common visual impairment in which you can see near objects clearly, but see distant objects blurry. This happens when the shape of your eye causes light rays to bend (refract) incorrectly, focusing images in front of your retina instead of on your retina.
How does myopia occur?
Myopia can usually occur for genetic reasons. However, environmental factors influence the increase in the degree of myopia. Myopia, which manifests itself in children aged 6 to 13, may increase with body growth, this is a normal situation.
Why does myopia occur?
Myopia occurs when the shape of the eye causes light rays to bend (refract) incorrectly, focusing the image in front of the retina instead of on it. You can inherit myopia and then develop it from environmental factors. For example, prolonged use of gadgets with small screens can worsen myopia.
How do people with myopia see?
Myopia usually occurs in childhood. It may progress with age. Images appear unclear because the light entering the eyes is not properly focused. This situation can be seen as a misdirected spotlight. If you aim the spotlight at the wrong point in the distance, you won't be able to see the desired object. People with myopia experience similar vision problems.
Degrees of myopia
Mild myopia ranges from 0 to -1.5 diopters, moderate from -1.5 diopters to -6.0 diopters, and high myopia from -6.0 diopters or more. People with pathological myopia have more than -8.0 diopters, but eye diseases such as retinal diseases, cataracts, and glaucoma can also occur in people with moderate to high myopia. One of the most important causes of myopia and astigmatism is keratoconus.
What are the symptoms of myopia?
Symptoms of myopia in children:
- Looks narrowed eyes
- Often rubs eyes
- Sqiunt
- Does not recognize objects at a certain distance
Routine eye examinations in children are very important for early diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms of myopia in adults:
- Eye fatigue and accompanying headache
- Poor vision when driving at night
- Need to squint or partially close eyelids
- Blurred vision after a certain distance
Does myopia go away? How is myopia treated?
Myopia can be treated with glasses or contact lenses in children and adults, depending on the degree. Other methods recommended for those who do not want to wear glasses or contact lenses are laser vision correction, i.e. laser treatment and treatment with intraocular lenses. With these methods, you can eliminate your far vision problem to a certain extent and continue your life without glasses and lenses.
How is myopia treated?
Depending on the structure of the eye and the suitability of the condition of patients who do not want to use glasses and lenses, laser treatment or treatment with intraocular lenses may be used. After treatment, the person does not feel the need for glasses or contact lenses. The most commonly used treatments for myopia are photorefractive keratectomy, LASIK, and SMILE.
Laser vision correction and surgical treatment of myopia
Photorefractive keratectomy
This operation, also called PRK, uses a laser to model the middle layer of the cornea. This flattens the curve of the cornea and allows light rays to focus closer to or on the retina.
LASIK
This is the most common operation to treat myopia. The surgeon uses a laser or other instrument to create a thin flap in the top layer of the cornea. With the help of another laser, the shape of the cornea is corrected and the flap is returned to its place.
SMILE
SMILE laser vision correction is one of the personalized superficial laser treatments that we usually use for eyes with thin corneas and not very high myopia and astigmatism. As a result of a detailed examination, Smile laser treatment can be applied to people whose eye structure is recognized by the doctor as suitable for this operation.
How is myopia tested?
Myopia can be diagnosed during a general eye examination. Myopia is usually diagnosed in childhood, but can also develop in adults as a result of environmental exposure, stress, or diabetes. Myopia is tested by placing various lenses in front of the eyes during the examination. First, you are asked to look at a light or read the letters in a painting. To check the health of the eyes, special eye drops may be prescribed to make the back of the eye clearer. Depending on the result, the doctor may write a prescription.
What lenses are used for myopia? What lenses correct myopia?
Intraocular Lens (ICL): Using a microscopic incision, a soft polymer lens is implanted into the eye between the natural lens and the iris. It provides better vision by helping light refract on the retina.
The most commonly used laser treatments are SMILE, LASIK, femtosecond laser, LASIK, i-LASIK, and PRK.
Prices for surgical treatment of myopia
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does myopia develop?
The main reason for the progression of myopia is an increase in the axial length of the eye. Many factors can contribute to this, in particular, wearing glasses all day every day can lead to aggravation of myopia. If your child has mild myopia, glasses should only be worn during activities such as watching TV or playing sports.
Is a concave lens used for myopia? Or is a convex lens used for myopia?
Concave lenses are used to correct myopia. Thanks to these lenses, the rays entering the eye are refracted, and they provide a clear image on the retina.
What is myopia?
In normal vision, the image is focused on the retina. In myopia, the focus is in front of the retina, causing distant objects to appear blurry. Myopia is a common visual impairment in which you can see near objects clearly, but distant objects are blurred.
What is false myopia?
This is a temporary condition of myopia caused by a weakening of the ciliary muscle of the eye. In some children, this muscle does not relax when looking into the distance and causes temporary myopia. This condition occurs when a child uses his eyes to focus too much on something, his eyes remain focused even when he looks into the distance. Therefore, the child's vision resembles myopia. In optometry, this indicates myopia, but it is not permanent.
In most cases, the state of false myopia occurs in children aged six years to adolescence. It is less common after this age. It is very rare in adults because the mechanism of vision, which is very common in children, weakens with age. The main treatment for parents when correcting their child's behavior is to reduce the number of close-range activities and increase the amount of outdoor play. If you are not sure if your child has myopia, take him to an ophthalmologist who specializes in pediatric eye conditions. The ophthalmologist will make an accurate diagnosis with eye drops that temporarily paralyze the muscles that focus attention. The ophthalmologist will check the patient's refractive power for problems with near vision. If false myopia is suspected, the doctor will identify this condition with a detailed examination and refer you for treatment.
What is myopic astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a condition in which the cornea has an abnormal curvature that can create two foci pointing to two different points. It also causes near and far objects to appear blurry. Astigmatism may be associated with eye fatigue or myopia. Symptoms of astigmatism are observed both in childhood and in adulthood.
People with refractive errors should have their vision checked regularly. Only in this way can the detection and treatment of refractive errors be achieved.
How do people with myopia see?
How do people with 0.50 myopia see?
The degrees of myopia start at 0.25. The smallest degree of myopia, 0.25 diopters, usually does not greatly affect daily life and work. If you have a myopia of only 0.25 diopters, you can go about your daily activities without glasses at all. 0.50 makes myopic people see a little blurry, but you can still see well without glasses. It will be enough to keep vision under control with the help of regular examinations and doctor's recommendations.
How do people with 1.25 myopia see?
People with 1.00 diopter myopia have difficulty seeing far away. For people with myopia of 1 diopter or higher, it becomes mandatory to wear glasses for jobs that require good distance vision, such as drivers and police officers.
How do people with 1.75 myopia see?
A diopter of -1.75 indicates that you need a little more energy to see some distant objects. In particular, you may need glasses for situations such as watching TV, looking at distant objects or people, and driving. For this reason, people with 1.75 diopter myopia may find that they cannot see distant objects.
How do people with 2 myopia see?
Generally, objects close to your eyes appear sharp, while those far away appear blurry. If your prescription says -2.00, you have two diopters of myopia. People with -2.00 myopia can undergo laser treatment depending on the condition of their eyes.
Prepared by the Dünyagöz Hospital Editorial Board.
*Page content is for informational purposes only. Consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment
Last Update Date: 02.06.2023
