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Conditions We Treat ► Myopia
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Also known as: near-sightedness.
What is myopia?
Myopia is a common vision problem that's usually referred to as nearsightedness and is classified as a "refractive error" (when the eye doesn't focus the light correctly). Myopia is when your child can see things close up but has difficulty seeing objects far away. It is frequently discovered when the child has difficulty reading the blackboard from his/her desk at school at around the age of 9-10 years, but can see when standing next to an object or book.It often gets worse as it grows during childhood but stabilizes around the age of 20 years.
What causes myopia?
Myopia occurs because the eye is too long or the cornea (the clear area at the front of the eye) is too curved. It typically runs in families and is passed down from parents to children. It can also be present with certain other medical conditions.
What are the symptoms of myopia?
Blurry vision when looking at objects far away, holding books close to the face or sitting close to the television, squinting when looking at objects far away and/or nausea and headaches.
What are myopia care options?
There are a number of ways to treat myopia. Eyeglasses, contact lenses, corneal refractive therapy (a non-surgical procedure that may reshape the curvature of the cornea) or in adulthood, laser corrective or other surgeries.
Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP
This page was last updated on: December 18, 2020 05:04 PM