See Monkey Do

One of the most popular reasons for having eyeglasses is shortsightedness

myopia, or myopia, is a condition in which objects a way away are wispy either because the eyeball is overly long or too strong. It is the outcome of both environmental and inherited factors.

The degree to which one is shortsighted depends on the powers of the cornea and the lens of the eye and the length of the eyeball. In a normal eye the incoming visual images meet on the retina in the back of the eye. If these visual images converge in front of the retina instead of on the retina, then one is nearsighted.

Unlike many other aspects in life, shortsightedness tends to improve with time. Nobody is definitely sure as to why this is, however it may be the lens becomes stiffer with age and so can not focus the rays of light so acutely. What then follows is the focal point of the light, becomes closer and closer to the retina.

shortsightedness affects about 25% of Americans.

shortsightedness is diagnosed by checking a child’s unaided vision and is confirmed objectively by the optician with various techniques, including retinoscopy and refraction.

To assess the specific nature of your shortsightedness, specific tests will need to be carried out to look at how well your eyes can focus on nearby as well as far away targets. Your eye movements will also be assessed as might your retina.

There are many children who will be falsely assessed to be myopic, because of their natural tendency to over focus. To counter this, a trained eye pratitioner will often elect to dilate the pupils with some eye drops to prevent the child’s lenses from over correcting.

If you have shortsightedness, you will need to have eyeglasses prescribed. If your child has been diagnosed with shortsightedness and are under 4, then they may get away with not wearing spectacles unless their vision is particularly bad.

Once a child starts school, then being able to focus on the board becomes important for learning, etc. So they should be regularly assessed for the need to wear glasses or the need to change their prescription.

Apart from a few children with esophoria (not able to converge their eyes) nearsighted children must wear their glasses as often as they can, otherwise they could do harm to their eyes.