Nearsightedness is known as myopia in the medical world. It is the most common eye disorder all over the world. People who suffer from this disease see objects clearly when they are closer to the eyes. Symptoms include blurry distance vision. Understanding nearsightedness helps prevent this disease or make an informed decision for treatment.
This condition is easily the most neglected world health issue. It has slipped and soared seventh in rank on causes for blindness, reaching as far as the fourth in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong. With long line of ineffective treatment through the years, it has become one of the leading middle year crises.
It has even become endemic with little children becoming its victims. Over one third of children born with normal vision develop myopia during the school age. Many of these children's vision deteriorate further to legal blindness. Highly literate Asian population has growing incidence of this disease, with about 90% college students affected.
While this disease has become so common, it is supposedly easy to be corrected with surgery or correctional lenses. What happens with the vision is that when an eyeball is elongated or the cornea has over curvature, the light that enters the eye is short from reaching the retina. Correcting the length or distance where the light needs to extend or the curve of the retina to extend the length of the light to reach the retina corrects this problem.
Vision test is the most important and yet simplest form of exam to check the vision early on. It uses a standardized reading chart where the patient reads letters twenty feet away. It measures the distance the patient can read the letters with ease. For instance, when the patient reads at 20 feet what normally can be read clearly at a distance of 80 feet, his vision is 20/80.
The treatment is generally prescription glasses. This glasses aims to focus light on the retina eliminating the blurry vision. These glasses may cause dependence and even helps in the myopia progression causing the need for higher grade prescription glasses. One way to eliminate this dependence is through refractive surgery.
Some of the invasive procedures to treat myopia are photorefractive keratectomy, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and corneal rings. Photorefractive keratectomy or PRK is a laser used to rip a layer of corneal tissue to slightly level the cornea. This allows light rays to focus on the retina.
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis is popularly known as Lasik. This is a laser that is used to cut a flap on top of the cornea. After removing some corneal tissues underneath the flap, this same flap is re-placed. Today, this is the most common prescribed surgery for myopia.
Plastic corneal rings or sometimes called Intacs is a treatment option that does not require any corneal removal. Instead of surgery, this implant is placed under the edge of the cornea reshaping its curvature to correct mild myopia. Rings can be replaced or removed with simple and safe procedure.
Understanding nearsightedness gives the confidence one needs to take the step for improvement. It can also help prevent further damage to the vision. Myopia can be prevented as much as it can be cured.
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