Myopia or nearsightedness causes you to see close objects clearly, but objects that are farther away appear blurry. A nearsighted prescription begins with a minus symbol, for example, -2.5.
An adult may notice the onset of myopia when driving – road signs are blurred or stop lights and head lights have a pronounced halo effect. A child may have difficulty reading the whiteboard at school or may come home from school complaining of headaches caused by squinting when trying to focus on the front of the classroom.
Causes
Nearsightedness can be caused by either an elongation of the eyeball, a hyper curved cornea or lens, or a combination of the two. When light rays hit the eye, they focus at a point in front of the retina.
Nearsightedness often begins in childhood with a genetic predisposition – if your parents wear glasses, you have a greater chance of wearing glasses, too. Your myopic vision prescription may progress with age, especially during childhood and teenage years, but usually will level off as you enter adulthood.
Treatment
The good news is that there are now several ways to correct myopia:
- Eyeglasses
- Contact Lenses
- LASIK
- Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)
If you suspect you are experiencing nearsightedness, schedule an appointment at our office by calling 609-653-9933 or use our online appointment scheduler. Dr. Dave or Dr. Cheryl will examine your eyes and talk with you about the pros and cons of each type of treatment while determining if you are a candidate for contacts or photorefractive surgery. Together you can choose the best type of correction for your myopia, and you’ll be seeing clearly in no time.