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Myopia - Nearsightedness Nearsightednes is a condition in which the eye becomes too long from front to back,
causing images to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. Because of this error, objects at a
distance become blurry and difficult to focus on. Nearsightedness is measured in negative diopters. The farther
the number is away from zero, the more extreme the nearsightedness. Approximately 98% of persons who undergo refractive laser surgery obtain 20/40 or better visual acuity, which is the visual acuity required to obtain a drivers license without wearing corrective lenses. If you have been wearing contacts and/or glasses for a year, or for 30 years, it should not have an impact on your potential laser vision correction surgery. Does my degree of nearsightedness matter? You will usually qualify for laser eye surgery if your current prescription (eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions not changing more than 0.50 diopter for the year prior to treatment) is up to -14.0 diopters with or without up to -5.0 diopters of astigmatism. Does age Matter? Laser eye surgery used to be for those under 40, this is not true anymore. More and more patients over 40, 50 and even some over 60 have had successful laser eye surgery. Patients need to be at least 18 years of age or older for the treatment of mild nearsightedness. Patients under 18 may not have finished developing and may need to wait until they are at least 18 years old. If you have a higher degree of nearsightedness or astigmatism you should probably wait until you are 21. This is something you will need to discuss with your opthmalogist. What are my choices? As a person with myopia you have several options available to you to enhance your current vision. Up until now, you have probably chosen to wear glasses and/or contacts. And while you can get cheap contact lenses at lens.com and other online retailers, you may be looking for a solution that allows you to see clearly from the moment you wake up. Laser vision correction surgery is another option (LASIK, PRK and RK), as well as corneal ring segments (Permanent Contacts ). Symptoms of myopia include:
Degrees of Myopia
Nearsightedness (myopia) is a very common condition that affects nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population. Some evidence supports the theory that nearsightedness is hereditary. There is also growing evidence that nearsightedness may be caused by the stress of too much close vision work. It normally first occurs in school age children. Since the eye continues to grow during childhood, nearsightedness generally develops before age 20. An individual that has myopia has trouble seeing clearly at a distance, while close objects are seen clearly. With myopia the center of the cornea is thinned, like cutting the hole in a donut. The rays of light entering the eye are bent too much and focus ahead of the retina, which is the normal focusing point. After compressing, the rays spread out again, becoming scattered by the time they reach the retina. This causes blurred vision.
There is a slight danger of sight loss since the deformation of the eye creates stress on the retina which can become damaged or detached and can also provoke other changes. This is especially the case in high myopia.
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