Ch8 GMS: Doctor discusses Chronic Myopia VTS 21 1

Myopia , "nearsightedness" (Am. Eng.), "shortsightedness" (Brit. Eng.)) is a refractive defect of the eye in which collimated light produces image focus in front of the retina when accommodation is relaxed. In simpler terms, myopia is a condition of the eye where the light that comes in does not directly focus on the retina which is in the back of the eye. Because of this, the image that one sees is out of focus when looking at a distant object but comes into focus when looking at a close object.
Eye care professionals most commonly correct myopia through the use of corrective lenses, such as glasses or contact lenses. It may also be corrected by refractive surgery, but this does have many risks and side effects. The corrective lenses have a negative optical power (i.e. are concave) which compensates for the excessive positive diopters of the myopic eye.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002018/

Nearsightedness

Myopia; Shortsightedness; Refractive error - nearsightedness
Last reviewed: July 28, 2010.

Nearsightedness is when light entering the eye is focused incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred. Nearsightedness is a type of refractive error of the eye.

If you are nearsighted, you have trouble seeing things that are far away.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

People are able to see because the front part of the eye bends (refracts) light and points it to the back surface of the eye, called the retina.

Nearsightedness occurs when the physical length of the eye is greater than the optical length.

This makes it more difficult for the eyes to focus light directly on the retina. If the light rays are not clearly focused on the retina, the images you see may be blurry.

Nearsightedness affects males and females equally. People who have a family history of nearsightedness are more likely to develop it. Most eyes with nearsightedness are healthy, but a small number of people with severe myopia develop a form of retinal degeneration.

Symptoms

A nearsighted person sees close up objects clearly, but objects in the distance are blurred. Squinting will tend to make far away objects seem clearer.

Nearsightedness is often first noticed in school-aged children or teenagers. Children often cannot read the blackboard, but they can easily read a book.

Nearsightedness gets worse during the growth years. People who are nearsighted need to change glasses or contact lenses often. It usually stops progressing as a person stops growing in his or her early twenties.

Other symptoms may include:

Eyestrain

Headaches (uncommon)

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