 More
than 70 million people in North America alone are nearsighted.
Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. Myopia usually
starts in childhood and gets progressively worse through
adolescence due
to the rapid growth and bodily changes that occurs during
these formative years. Typically
myopia progression slows down in severity once young adulthood
arrives and the growth and bodily changes slow down.
Myopia occurs when an eye is too long or too strong for
the light-bending ability of the cornea's curvature. Light
rays entering the eye do not come to a sharp focus on the
retina as
they should, and instead focus in front of the eye
producing a blurred distance image. This is likened to wearing
too much power in your eyes, so the focus at near without
glasses is good while the distance focus is blurry.
The term nearsighted means that myopic individuals can see
"near" objects clearly without glasses, but objects
further in the distance are blurred. The more myopic, the
more blurred distant objects appear, the higher your eyeglass
prescription and the thicker your glasses needed for correction.
Of all myopic individuals, about 90% have corrections less
than -6.00 diopters. • Mild myopia < -3.00 diopters
• Moderate myopia -3.00 to -6.00 diopters
• Severe myopia -6.00 to -9.00 diopters
• Extreme myopia > -9.00 diopters
Myopia can be corrected by any method
that reduces the total refractive power of the eye. Eyeglasses
and contact lenses do this by putting in front of the eye
"negative" lenses that are thicker at the edge
than in the center. LASIK and PRK procedures decrease eye
length (myopia) by flattening the central part of the cornea
with the
excimer laser utilizing photoablative disruption.
To learn about Hyperopia, click
here.
Questions
Concerning Refractive Surgery Options?
Call the Refractive Coordinator at 913-328-2020 for more information and further discussion of your particular treatment options and pricing issues.
Myopia
Video Presentation
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the Myopia Video Presentation
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