Nearsightedness and Myopia Treatments

Nearsightedness--or myopia--is an aberration of the eye that allows people to see near objects clearly but distorts the way the eye sees objects at a distance. If you have no trouble reading a book but you can't seem to make out street names while driving then you may be nearsighted. While some eye conditions are age-related, myopia appears in people of every age including very young children.

Nearsightedness is caused by a defect in the eye that makes it hard for the cornea and lens to correctly bring distant objects into focus. While mild cases of myopia can be treated by strengthening the eyes, it is far more common for people with myopia to correct their altered vision through the use of glasses or corrective lenses. In increasing numbers, nearsighted people looking for a more permanent solution are turning to refractive surgery procedures.

Because the source of myopia in most eyes is slightly “off” proportions, many eye surgeons seek to correct the condition by shaving off excess layers of corneal tissue. LASIK does this by cutting a flap in the top of the cornea, reshaping the eye as necessary, and then replacing the flap. Photorefractive keratectomy (or PRK) uses a similar method but accesses the defective area by abrading and removing the top layers of the cornea instead of cutting and replacing them as LASIK does.

LASEK was developed as a compromise between LASIK and PRK. While it creates a flap in the same manner as regular LASIK, it uses an abrasive agent like PRK to first weaken the corneal tissues, allowing for a thinner flap to be cut. The end result is a procedure that's safer and more effective for patients with atypical corneas. Finally, myopia patients that are more comfortable adding something to their eyes than removing tissue may elect to have contact lenses permanently implanted behind their corneas.

Because each vision correction case is different, you should have an eye examination by a qualified vision correction specialist.