Health & Fitness

Myopia, commonly referred to as nearsightedness, is the most common eye problem among the citizens of the US. People who are living with nearsightedness have an eyeball (or two) that is long and thin, causing the eye to focus an image in front of the retina. The retina is a thin layer of nerve tissue lining the inside of the eye. To correct this problem, doctors prescribe eyewear with a negative number, such as -2.75.

The difficulty with myopia is that sometimes the retina has a tendency to have small tears in it with this eye shape. If not taken care of properly, the retina can continue to tear or have small breaks in it that can eventually lead to a retinal detachment. If this occurs, it is time to find a good eye surgeon to repair the damage as soon as possible.

Risk Factors for Myopia
Many people are at great risk for myopia through their own family history. People who have parents with nearsightedness are at a higher risk than those whose parents have perfect vision or have farsightedness. According to the doctors, infants who are born premature, especially those with retinopathy of prematurity (from being born before the 28th week of pregnancy) are at a high risk.

People who have other eye diseases, including night blindness, infantile glaucoma and more, are at high risk as well. Studies have taken place showing people who read extensively have higher degrees of myopia. Just because a person is prone to nearsightedness does not mean he will have it, and there is little he or she can do to avoid it. There are eye exercises, however, that may help to relieve some of the strain caused by myopia.