Myopia: What is it?

Medically, myopia (my-OH-pee-uh) is an inability to see far away. A synonym is “nearsightedness.” Someone who is myopic can see near, but not far away. LASIK eye surgery can correct this common condition.

Myopia causes

Myopia is caused by a focusing errors that can be corrected by changing the shape of the cornea. The cornea transmits light through various eye parts internally toward your retina, which interprets an image. When your cornea is too steep, the image gets distorted, and you have a myopic prescription. (When the cornea is too flat, the image also gets distorted, but this is considered a hyperopic, or farsighted, prescription.)

Myopia and vision correction

Luckily, myopia is a common vision problem that can be diagnosed at an eye exam.

People correct myopia daily with glasses, contact lenses and LASIK. Less common correction procedures, such as implantable lenses and other types of laser vision correction, can also correct myopia.

Myopia and LASIK

LASIK surgery is an attractive vision-correction option for people with myopia.

If you’re interested in learning about LASIK, schedule a free consultation.