The LASIK eye doctors in Los Angeles let us know that Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is the most prevalent cause of impaired vision in people under age 40. Recently, it’s becoming more common at an alarming rate. Around the world, research suggests that in the year 2000, an estimated 25 percent of the world’s population was nearsighted, but by the year 2050, it’s anticipated that roughly half the people in the world will be myopic.
What Are The Symptoms Of Myopia?
When you speak to the best LASIK surgeons in Los Angeles and find that you are nearsighted, you will find it very challenging to read road signs and see distant objects clearly. However, you will find that it is a lot easier to see and do close-up tasks such as computer use and reading.
The LASIK surgeons say that the other symptoms and signs of Myopia consist of squinting, eye strain, headaches, and feeling fatigued when driving or playing sports. All these are symptoms of uncorrected nearsightedness.
If you notice these signs or symptoms while wearing your glasses or contact lenses, schedule an eye exam with your LASIK doctor in Los Angeles to see if you need to modify your prescription to something stronger.
What Causes Myopia?
Myopia happens when your eyeball is too long, with respect to the focusing power of the lens and cornea of the eye. As a result, light rays aim attention at a point in front of the retina instead of directly on its surface.
Essentially, the best laser eye surgery simplifies this by saying that Myopia happens when light concentrates too distant in front of the retina.
Also, nearsightedness can come about when the cornea and/or lens are too curved for the eyeball length. In some cases, Myopia happens because of a combination of these factors.
Typically, Myopia starts in childhood, and you may have a probable chance of having it if your parents have nearsightedness. In most situations, nearsightedness stabilizes in early adulthood, but sometimes it carries on to progress with age.
What’s The Treatment For Myopia?
There are some effective myopia control methods for children with progressive nearsightedness, including myopia control glasses, atropine eye drops, myopia control contact lenses, and Ortho-k contact lenses.
For the rest of us, nearsightedness can be corrected with standard contact lenses, prescription eyeglasses, or refractive surgery.
Depending on how bad your Myopia is, your eye doctor may advise you to constantly wear your eyeglasses or contact lenses or only when you require very clear distance vision. For instance, when you’re driving, seeing a whiteboard, or watching a movie.
Suitable selections for eyeglass lenses for nearsightedness include high-index lenses (for thinner, lighter glasses) and lenses with anti-reflective coating. Also, think about photochromic lenses to protect your eyes from UV rays and high-energy blue light and to scale down the need for a separate pair of prescription sunglasses.
If you’re nearsighted, you may notice that the first number (“sphere”) on your eyeglasses prescription or contact lens prescription will be ahead of a minus sign (–). Keep in mind that the higher the number, the more nearsighted you are.
Refractive surgery can lower or even stamp out your need for eyeglasses or contacts. An eye surgeon carries out the most common procedures using an excimer laser.
- In PRK, the laser takes off a layer of corneal tissue, which flattens the cornea and lets light rays focus more precisely on the retina.
- In LASIK, which is the most prevalent refractive procedure, a thin flap is made on the surface of the cornea, a laser gets rid of some corneal tissue, and then the flap is brought back to its original position.
Last but not least, there is orthokeratology, which is a non-surgical procedure where you wear special rigid gas permeable (RGP or GP) contact lenses at night that reshape your cornea while you sleep. When you take off the lenses in the morning, your cornea for a short period keeps to the new shape, so you can see clearly during the day without having to rely on eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Orthokeratology and an accompanying general practitioner contact lens procedure known as corneal refractive therapy (CRT) have been shown to temporarily correct mild to moderate amounts of Myopia. Both methods are excellent alternatives to surgery for individuals who are too young for LASIK or are not suitable candidates for refractive surgery.
Additionally, implantable lenses called phakic IOLs another surgical option for correcting nearsightedness, especially for persons with high amounts of Myopia or thinner-than-normal corneas that could escalate their risk of complications from LASIK or other laser vision correction procedures.
Phakic IOLs work similarly to contact lenses, except they are surgically placed within the eye and are usually permanent, which means no upkeep is required. Unlike IOLs used in cataract surgery, phakic IOLs do not replace the eye’s natural lens, which is left intact.
How To Control Myopia?
Since many people are becoming nearsighted, there is a lot of appeals to discover methods that control myopia progression in childhood.
Various techniques have been attempted, including fitting children with progressive lenses, bifocals, and gas permeable contact lenses. All of these have brought mixed results.
Recent clinical trials revealed that low-dose atropine eye drops could decelerate myopia progression in school-age children, with far fewer side effects compared with higher concentrations.
However, some children don’t respond well to atropine drops.
Based on a 2017 study from the American Academy of Optometry meeting, a dual-focus disposable contact lens decreased the progression rate of Myopia with children between the ages of 8 and 12 years when on par with a single vision lens.
Make sure to visit Excel Laser Vision Institute if you’re having problems seeing near objects or find yourself holding your smartphone or reading material further away to make out the words. The professional, dedicated and caring staff at Excel Laser Vision Institute can treat your nearsightedness.
