NEARSIGHTEDNESS

Nearsightedness is a vision condition where one can see clearly up close but far away vision is blurry. It affects 10 million people in the United States, which is a 30 percent increase in the last 30 years. When a person is diagnosed with nearsightedness at a young age, each year the eyeball continues to grow longer increasing the need for glasses. This causes a stretching of the retina and can lead to more diseases such as retinal tears, glaucoma, and maculopathies.

 

Research done has shown ways to slow down the progression of nearsightedness. This is done through something called myopia control. This can involve specialty contact lenses worn at night that reshape the cornea or front surface of the eye, specialty soft contact lenses, or a daily prescription eye drop. The sooner treatment begins once nearsightedness appears, the less risk there is for other eye diseases. This treatment also decreases the need for glasses and contact lenses.