If you've been diagnosed with myopia, you may have a lot of questions about just what it is and what you need to do to correct it. Myopia is simply another word for being nearsighted. Myopia is highly common among people of all ages. The name nearsightedness is a description of the way people with myopia see things. They have clear vision when things are near them and see things as blurrier when they are farther away.
When people find it hard to make out a street sign but can read something that's close by, this is a sign of myopia. If you have this condition, you need to see an eye doctor regularly to have your vision monitored with eye exams. If you are experiencing the symptoms of myopia and live in or around Meridian, contact Primary Eyecare & Optical of Meridian to schedule an appointment with one of our optometrists.
What Causes Myopia?
Nearsightedness occurs when you have an eye shape that isn't normal and causes light to be incorrectly focused. Your eye may be too long of a shape or you have a cornea that is simply too curved for the proper focusing of light. When this happens, the light that comes in through the eye isn't focused in the right way. It is supposed to be focused on the back part of the eye called the retina.
When a patient has myopia, the image instead focuses on the area that is in front of the retina. This creates blurred vision. This type of error is called a refractive error and patients who have it usually need glasses or contacts to correct it to see clearly. Some patients are good candidates for eye surgery like LASIK to change the shape of the eyes.
Myopia Symptoms
When you have myopia, it can come with several different symptoms. Many patients get chronic headaches as well as eyes that feel fatigued or strained. This can happen because your eyes are working harder to try to see clearly. If you often squint, this can be another symptom. When children have myopia, they often squint and rub their eyes. They may get headaches and have a hard time seeing at school.
It's common for children to get myopia and have it progress over time. Once the patient is an adult, their eyesight often stabilizes and the condition ceases to progress. If you have myopia or your child does, they need an eye exam from an optometrist to determine the next steps and a possible prescription for glasses.
See Our Optometrists in Meridian, MS
If you suspect that you or your child have myopia or it has been a while since your last eye exam, contact Primary Eyecare & Optical of Meridian to schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors. Call our team today at (601) 485-2020 or reach us through our website by using our online contact form.