Myopia is a frequently encountered vision condition, in which nearby objects are seen clearly, but more distant objects are blurred. This occurs when the eye focuses light rays incorrectly, in front of the retina, instead of focusing them on the retina.
Symptoms of myopia in children and adults
What risk factors can increase the likelihood of developing myopia?
Emergency ophthalmology consultation
Symptoms of myopia in children and adults
Myopia symptoms may include:
- Blurred vision when looking at distant objects
- The need to squint or partially close the eyelids to see clearly
- Headaches caused by eye strain
Myopia in children can be manifested by:
- The need to sit closer to the TV or computer screen
- Preference to sit in front of the classroom
- Ignore distant objects
- He blinks excessively and/or rubs his eyes frequently
Causes of myopia
The eye has two transparent structures, which work like lenses, with a role in focusing images on the retina: the cornea and the lens.
The cornea has a curved shape and forms the front surface of the eye. The lens is inside the eye. In a normally shaped eye, images are focused on the retina. When the eyeball is longer than normal or when the surface of the cornea has a greater curvature, the images will focus improperly in front of the retina, and distant objects appear blurry. Myopia is a refractive error like hypermetropia or astigmatism.
What risk factors can increase the likelihood of developing myopia?
- Genetic factors: myopia tends to run in families, if the mother or father has myopia, there are higher chances that the child will also face myopia
- Environmental conditions: the lack of time spent outdoors and the increase in time spent in front of electronic devices can increase the chances of developing myopia
Myopia Diagnosis
Myopia can be diagnosed through a basic ophthalmological examination, which includes an assessment of visual acuity and ocular refraction. The ophthalmologist can administer drops for the dilation of the pupils and the global assessment of the health of the eye or for the precise determination of the refractive error (in the case of children, adolescents and young adults).
Visit to the ophthalmologist
A visit to the ophthalmologist is required when you cannot perform the desired task due to the difficulty of seeing things clearly at a distance. Eye exams are performed periodically, for children and adolescents, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends eye exams at the following ages and intervals:
- At 6 months and at 3 years
- In the first school year
- Every 2 years during the school years
Emergency ophthalmology consultation
A rare condition, but more frequently encountered among patients with high myopia, is detachment (detachment) from the retina. This is a medical emergency in which intervention time is critical.
The following symptoms may appear in the case of a retinal detachment:
- Flashes of light (photopsia)
- The sudden appearance of multiple floating spots in the visual field (myodesopsia)
- A curtain-like shadow over the visual field
Can myopia be treated?
The goal of myopia treatment is to improve vision. The diopters do not decrease by themselves, myopia can stabilize (the diopters no longer increase) or it can evolve, in which case the diopters increase.
Myopia can be controlled by using corrective lenses, which counteract the increased length of the eye or the increased curvature of the cornea (glasses or contact lenses) or treated by refractive surgery interventions (myopia surgery).
Myopia treatment options are discussed together with the specialist ophthalmologist. For example, in the case of myopia treatment through surgery, there are certain contraindications: the presence of other diseases, young age of the patient, myopia has not stagnated in the last 2 years and others.
References:
- Epidemiology of Myopia, Seang-Mei Saw, Joanne Katz, Oliver D. Schein, Sek-Jin Chew, and Tat-Keong Chan
- Increasing Prevalence of Myopia in Europe and the Impact of Education, National Library of Medicine
- Myopia, Paul N. Baird, Seang-Mei Saw, Carla Lanca, Jeremy A. Guggenheim, Earl L. Smith III, Xiangtian Zhou, Kyoko-Ohno Matsui, Pei-Chang Wu, Padmaja Sankaridurg, Audrey Chia, Mohamad Rosman, Ecosse L. Lamoureux, Ryan Man, Mingguang He
