Short-sightedness is a very common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can
be seen clearly. Myopia is the medical term for short-sightedness.
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Cases of short-sightedness can range from mild, where treatment may not be required, to very severe, which can significantly affect vision. The symptoms of short-sightedness often start around puberty and get gradually worse until the eye is fully grown. Therefore it's important to have regular eye examinations.
If you notice that distant objects seem to be fuzzy or your child is struggling to see things in the distance, such as the blackboard at school, you should arrange for a sight test with an optometrist (optician).
Short-sightedness is a refractive eye condition. Refractive eye conditions are caused when problems with the structure of the eye affects how light rays enter your eye.
Most people are born slightly long-sighted (where close objects appear blurred) because their eyes haven't grown to their full length. The eye then grows to their normal length, which should lead to the resumption of normal vision.
Generally, short-sightedness happens when the eye continues to grow and becomes too long from front to back as a result, light rays don't reach the retina at the back of the eye. They only focus in front of it. This means that objects in the distance seem blurred. Most cases of short-sightedness are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors that disrupt the normal growth of the eye.
The latest research makes it quite clear that acquired myopia develops from excessive accommodation. It is most common in advanced, literate societies and is rare in primitive, illiterate societies. This is not to say that an illiterate person could not develop myopia. an illiterate person might be spending many hours each day on some form of close work requiring excessive accommodation that could lead to the development of myopia.
Actually, there are many possible factors, both known and unknown, which could account for such differences, and it would be very difficult to determine which factor is most important in any individual case.
The diet of the child The diet of the mother during the gestation period The distance the book is held from the eyes The amount of light used for reading How often the child looks up from the book How large a "cushion" of farsightedness the child was born with
There are three main treatment options for short-sightedness. They are:
using corrective lenses, such as glasses or contact lenses, to compensate for the defect in the cornea
using laser surgery to correct the defect (laser surgery can't be used in children because their eyes are still developing); most people will have to pay to have private laser surgery implanting an artificial lens into the eye to compensate for the longer eye length
Numerous
researchers have found a higher incidence of myopia in girls than in boys. Heredity need not be the reason for this. It can be explained by the fact that boys have traditionally spent more time in outdoor sports activities while girls have more frequently turned to sewing, knitting and other close-work activities.
Most often, young children with shortsightedness don't complain or only complain of difficulties seeing things far away. A nearsighted child may move closer to objects to see clearly. If your child seems to have trouble seeing things at a distance, make an appointment with an Eye Doctor.
Children need their vision checked at 6 months, 3 years, and before first grade. This is especially important if there is a family history of progressive nearsightedness or other eye conditions.
It is still controversial whether progressive short-sightedness in children can be slowed down. Some recent studies suggest that the use of the drug atropine combined with bifocals slows the progression of myopia.
Children with short-sightedness can wear eyeglasses. They can also start wearing contact lenses when they are mature enough to take care of them. Often this depends on how involved the parents are in caring for the contact lenses. Eye specialists rarely recommend contact lenses before a child enters his or her teens.
Since short-sightedness is often inherited, it is not totally possible to prevent it. However, there are steps you can take to minimize its effect. Make sure your child is examined early, especially if there is a family history of progressive nearsightedness or other eye conditions. If it is uncomfortable to do work or watch television from a standard distance, your child may already be developing shortsightedness and needs an eye examination.
