Worsening Distance Blur Caused By Myopia
Nearsightedness generally means that objects in the distance are blurry. Another term for nearsightedness is “myopia”. It’s been estimated that 20% of all Americans have some degree of the refractive condition called myopia.
As with all refractive eye conditions, myopia is the result of eye “mis-shapeness”. For those who are nearsighted, the eye may be longer from front to back, or the cornea (the clear window in front of the iris) may be too steeply curved.
Myopia will commonly start out mild during adolescence and get progressively worse before it levels off and becomes stable. The final amount of nearsightedness someone will end up with is unpredictable, but most eye doctors believe it’s a combination of genetics and the amount of near activity.
A common myth is that corrective lenses will make nearsightedness worse. This is simply not true. Glasses will allow someone with myopia to see clearly, but will not make the degree of myopia get better or worse. LASIK vision correction, however, can permanently correct for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. If you would like to learn more about LASIK please call, Stacey, our LASIK coordinator at 319-377-2222, ext. 308.
Tags: Contact Lenses, eyeglasses, LASIK, myopia
Special Note: 1D, 2D, and 3D stand for the severity of myopia, in diopters (D). I consider 1-3 diopters “mild” myopia, 3-6 diopters “moderate” myopia, and myopia >7 diopters “severe”. Individuals with severe myopia are sometimes at greater risk for retinal detachment, an eye condition causing sudden vision loss which requires urgent care.
i’m surprised its only 20%… i feel like many more people than that use corrective eyewear.
Cal,
Keep in mind that the 20% only applies to nearsightedness. Others have correction for diffrent reasons, such as farsightedness or presbyopia.