Myopia (Short-sightedness)

Nothing is more misunderstood among eye disorders than myopia or short-sightedness. Most myopia leads healthy lives and have normal careers provided they have appropriate spectacles or contact lens. Correct guidelines on ocular hygiene and care are mandatory. Last but not the least, an honest discussion with the ophthalmologist to clear misconceptions is vital.

The meaning of myopia is explained with the help of a diagram of a normal myopic eyeball. The eyeball in myopia is, at birth, larger than the normal eyeball. The normal length of an eyeball is 24 mm. The diagram shows that the normal length at which point the focus of animage is well-defined is a in a normal eye. In a myopic long eye, the focus at A is blurred. It is corrected by a negative (minus) lens and brought to focus at B for a clear image.

The person sees normal and clear at B. The myopia point is at C, which is much beyond B. Because the eye-length in myopia is longer than normal there is nothing that one can ordinarily do to reduce its length- no drugs, no exercise, etc. If a concave lens (minus) is put in front of the eye, the focus point will be on to B. In short, myopia is an anatomical lengthening of the ball of eye.

In ordinary conditions, spectacles or contact lenses are the only remedy within our reach, and they must not be delayed. Delays in restoring vision result in the eye becoming lazy in regaining sight.