Short-sightedness, or myopia,is a common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly. If you think you or your child may be short-sighted, you should book an eye test at a local opticians.
About short-sightedness (myopia)
Short-sightedness can range from mild, where treatment may not be required, to severe, where a person's vision is significantly affected.
Thecondition usuallystarts aroundpuberty. Itgets gradually worse until the eye is fully grown. But it can also develop in very young children.
Signs that your child may be short-sighted can include:
- needing to sit near the front of the class at school because they find it difficult to read the whiteboard
- sitting close to the TV
- complaining ofheadachesor tired eyes
- regularly rubbing their eyes
Getting your eyes tested
If you think you or your child may be short-sighted, you should book an eye test at a local opticians.
You should have a routine eye test at least every two years. But you can have a test at any point if you have any concerns about your vision.
An eye test can confirm whether you're short orlong-sighted. You can be given a prescription forglasses or contact lenses to improve your vision.
For some people, such as childrenunder 16, orthose under 19 and in full-time education, eye tests are available free of charge on the health service.
Causes of short-sightedness
Short-sightednessusually occurs when the eyes grow slightly too long.
This means that light doesn'tfocus onthe light-sensitive tissue (retina) at the back of the eye properly. Instead, the light rays focus justin front of the retina, resulting in distantobjects appearing blurred.
It's not clear exactly why this happens. But it often runs in families and has been linked to focusing on nearby objects, such as books and computers, for long periods during childhood.
Treatments forshort-sightedness
Short-sightedness can usually be correctedeffectively with a number of treatments.
The main treatments are:
- corrective lenses, such as glasses or contact lenses to help the eyes focus on distant objects
- laser eye surgeryto alter the shape of the eye– this isn't usually available on the health service and shouldn't be carried out on children, whose eyes are still developing
- artificial lens implants– wherea lens is permanently insertedinto the eyes to help them focus correctly;these arealso not usually available on the health service
Associated eye conditions
Someadults with severe short-sightedness and young children with untreated short-sightedness are more likely to develop other eye problems.
These can include:
- asquint– a common childhood condition where the eyes point in different directions
- alazy eye–a childhood condition where the vision in one eye doesn't develop properly
- glaucoma– increased pressure inside the eyes
- cataracts– where cloudy patches develop inside the lens of the eye
- retinal detachment– wherethe retina pulls away from the blood vessels that supply it with oxygen and nutrients
More useful links
The information on this page has been adapted from original content from the NHS website.
For further information seeterms and conditions.
