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Nearsightedness

 

Question: What is nearsightedness and how does it affect my lifestyle?

 

Answer: Nearsightedness, or Myopia, is a vision condition whereby near objects are seen clearly, but distant objects do not come into proper focus. This condition occurs when the eyeball is too long or the cornea has too much curvature. This causes the light that enters the eyeball to have refractive error, which inhibits distant images from focusing properly on the back of the eyeball (retina). Some evidence supports the theory that this condition has a hereditary component or that nearsightedness may be caused by the stress of too much close vision work. This condition affects about 30% of the Canadian population.

The symptoms of nearsightedness normally occur in school age children and will most always occur before an individual reaches the age of 20. Some of the common symptoms to watch for are trouble seeing the chalkboard, the movie screen, the television screen or other distant objects.

 

Nearsightedness can be effectively diagnosed during a comprehensive optometric eye health examination done by your Optometrist. Your Optometrist may recommend glasses or contact lenses in order to correct the refractive error in the distant vision. Glasses or contact lenses may only have to be worn for certain activities like watching television, when at a movie theatre or driving a car. Laser surgery can also correct this condition and could be considered if the patient is interested in this treatment method and their Optometrist deems the patient an appropriate candidate for laser surgery.

 

If glasses or contact lenses are prescribed, it may take a few days to adjust to wearing them. After that, nearsightedness will probably not significantly affect the patient’s lifestyle.

 

The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends the following comprehensive eye health examination guidelines:

• Birth to 5 years: Immediately, if parents sense a problem, otherwise by age 3 and again prior to entering school.
• School age children 6-19 years: Annually or every 2 years.
• Over 19 years of age: Every 2 years or sooner if recommended by your Optometrist.

 

* All content is provided for education and information, and is no substitute for the advice of your optometrist. This information is provided courtesy of the British Columbia Association of Optometrists (B.C.A.O.). The B.C.A.O. assumes no responsibility or liability arising from any errors or omissions or from the use of any information contained herein.