Short-sightedness is a very common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly. Myopia is the medical term for short-sightedness.
Cases of short-sightedness can range from mild, where treatment may not be required, to very severe, which can significantly affect vision.
The symptoms of short-sightedness often start around puberty and get gradually worse until the eye is fully grown. Therefore it’s important to have regular eye examinations.
If you notice that distant objects seem to be fuzzy or your child is struggling to see things in the distance, such as the blackboard at school, you should arrange for a sight test with an optometrist (optician).
What causes short-sightedness?
Short-sightedness is a refractive eye condition. Refractive eye conditions are caused when problems with the structure of the eye affects how light rays enter your eye.
Most people are born slightly long-sighted (where close objects appear blurred) because their eyes haven’t grown to their full length. The eye then grows to their normal length, which should lead to the resumption of normal vision.
Generally, short-sightedness happens when the eye continues to grow and becomes too long from front to back As a result, light rays don’t reach the retina at the back of the eye. They only focus in front of it. This means that objects in the distance seem blurred.
Most cases of short-sightedness are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors that disrupt the normal growth of the eye.
Treating short-sightedness
There are three main treatment options for short-sightedness. They are:
- using corrective lenses, such as glasses or contact lenses, to compensate for the defect in the cornea
- using laser surgery – to correct the defect (laser surgery can’t be used in children because their eyes are still developing); most people will have to pay to have private laser surgery
- implanting an artificial lens into the eye to compensate for the longer eye length
Who is affected by short-sightedness?
Short-sightedness is a refractive eye condition. Refractive eye conditions are caused when problems with the structure of the eye affects how light rays enter your eye.
Most people are born slightly long-sighted (where close objects appear blurred) because their eyes haven’t grown to their full length. The eye then grows to their normal length, which should lead to the resumption of normal vision.
Generally, short-sightedness happens when the eye continues to grow and becomes too long from front to back As a result, light rays don’t reach the retina at the back of the eye – they only focus in front of it. This means that objects in the distance seem blurred.
Most cases of short-sightedness are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors that disrupt the normal growth of the eye.
Short-sightedness is thought to be slightly more common in females than in males.