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Q: What is myopia?
A: Myopia, or Near - sightedness, refers to a condition where vision is better
when looking at near objects, and worse when looking at distant objects. It is caused by an eye that is too strong to focus
light rays back onto the back surface of the inside of the eye, the retina. Therefore, the more near-sighted an eye is, the
closer the range of clear focus is to the face and the blurrier distant objects become.
If you think of your eye as a projector, the "screen" would be the back, inside surface of the eye called the retina. A
near-sighted (or myopic) eye is too strong to focus the light rays onto the retina because either the overall axial length
is too long, or the cornea (the centralized, frontal portion of the eye) is too thick. Light rays which make up the perceived
images are converged too quickly. The result is a focus which lands in front of the retina.
The extra power of the eye can be neutralized by spectacle or contact lenses shaped in such a way as to spread out
the light rays which are being focused too quickly to get back to the eye’s natural screen, the retina. Newer
methods of correction include laser refractive surgery, such as LASIK, which involves a reshaping the cornea.
Except in rarer cases of progressive near-sightedness, there is no way to predict whether or not the condition will improve,
worsen, or remain stable. However, in the vast majority of cases, regular optometric care can help to insure that proper vision
is maintained.
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