What Type of Lens Are Used to Correct Myopia?

Myopia or nearsightedness is a refractive error where individuals see distant objects as blurry. It develops when your eye shape refracts light rays incorrectly and focuses images at the front of your retina and not on it.

Myopia can develop rapidly or gradually. It often gets worse during childhood and in the adolescence ages. You can confirm you have the condition through a basic eye exam. Your eye doctor at Ridgeview Eye Care can correct nearsightedness using a particular type of lens. Read more to find out the right lens to correct myopia.

What Causes Myopia?

The eye focuses images in two areas, the cornea, and the lens. A normal-shaped eye has a smooth curvature on each of the two focusing parts. A perfectly curved cornea and the lens refract light and focus images sharply on the retina.

A cornea or eye lens with no smooth curvature does not refract light rays properly. Myopia occurs due to the steep curvature of the cornea and the eyeball being longer than usual. Instead of light focusing directly on your retina, it focuses in front of it. As a result, distant objects appear blurry.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors such as genetics and environmental conditions increase the chances of myopia. Most people with nearsightedness have the refractive error running in their families. If your parent has the problem, your risk of developing it increases. Your chances of getting myopia become even higher if all your parents have the condition.

Some studies show that spending more time indoors than outdoors increases the risk of myopia.

Symptoms of Myopia

The main symptom of myopia is seeing distant objects as blurry. You can also experience:

 

• Eyestrain
   

• Headaches
   

• Eye fatigues when seeing distant objects
   

• Squinting

When to See a doctor

If you struggle to see distant objects clearly and cannot perform your daily activities well, you need to see your doctor. They can determine the severity of the refractive error to know the best way to correct it.

Ideally, seek emergency medical help if you suddenly see floaters or shadowlike curtains in your field of vision. Seek help if you also see flashes of light.

Lenses That Corrects Myopia

Myopia causes blurriness when looking at objects at a distance. The eye is usually long from the back to the front of the eye lens. The lens needs to weaken to see distant objects clearly. A negative or diverging artificial lens will work. Ideally, a concave lens is the appropriate one to correct the problem. Using a converging lens adds focusing power to your eye because it is wider in the center than at the edges like your eye lens.

If your eye doctor gives you glasses or contact lenses, it is ideal for you to check their prescription. If you see a minus (-) sign in front of a value, it indicates how it corrects your myopia. The number before the sign indicates the strength of the lens correction. The correction is strong based on how large the number is.

For more about eye lenses to correct myopia, visit Ridgeview Eye Care at our office in Olathe or De Soto, Kansas. You can call (913) 270-8598 or (913) 270-6017 to book an appointment today.