Protecting Your Eyes from Myopia: Prevention Tips

What's myopia?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common eye disorder that blurs distant objects but not close-up ones. Light entering the eye focuses in front of the retina rather than directly on it.

Distance vision is diminished, yet near vision is clear due to an eye refractive defect. Since the eyeball is too lengthy or the cornea is too curvaceous, light cannot focus on the retina.

Symptoms: 

• This results in blurred vision when viewing distant objects.
• Eye strain, headaches
• See clearly by squinting

Risk factors

• A family history of myopia is a risk factor.
• Long hours of near work, reading, and screen time
• Limited outdoor time

HiHigh myopia can lead to complications such as retinal detachment, cataracts, and glaucoma.

An eye exam conducted by an optometrist or ophthalmologist confirms the diagnosis.

Treatment Choices

• Eyeglasses and contact lenses are the most common and effective methods for vision correction.
• Refractive Surgery (LASIK, PRK, SMILE): Adjusts corneal focus permanently.
• Children may utilise low-dose atropine eye drops to delay advancement.

Outlook and prevalence

• Myopia affects 30% of the world and is rising rapidly. Nearly half of the global population may be myopic by 2050.
• Most cases of myopia stabilize in early adulthood, but the condition persists for a lifetime.

Nearsightedness risk factors

Family history, lifestyle choices like prolonged near employment, and limited outdoor activity are the main risk factors for myopia. Family history increases the risk of developing or worsening myopia.

Key Myopia Risk Factors

• Family History/Genetics
• Children of parents with myopia are at risk.
• Onset Age
• Myopia begins in childhood or adolescence and can persist into early adulthood.
• Little Outdoor Time
• Sunlight-deprived kids are more prone to acquiring myopia. Sustained viewing of distant objects and exposure to natural light appear to offer protective benefits against myopia.

Eye Growth and Shape

• An extended eyeball or a steep corneal curvature causes light to focus in front of the retina.

Environmental Factors

• Urban living, high educational demands, and lifestyles that heavily involve screens contribute to the increase of myopia worldwide.

Extra Notes

• The majority of myopia stabilises between the ages of 20 and 40; however, severe cases may continue to worsen.
• Life-threatening complications: High myopia increases the risk of retinal detachment, cataracts, and glaucoma.
• Prevention: Outdoor play, screen time limits, and eye exams can reduce risk or slow growth.

Main Myopia Causes

• Abnormal Eye Shapes
• A lengthy eyeball is the most common cause of myopia. Light focuses before the retina when the eye is excessively long from front to back.
• Too steep corneal curvature bends light excessively, pushing the focal point forward.
• Lens thickness: A thick or strong lens can potentially cause focusing issues.

Steps to Diagnose Myopia

• Visual Acuity Test
• You must read letters on a distant Snellen chart to assess your vision.
• At the end, myopia may make it difficult to read small letters.

Retinoscopy

• Retinoscopes shine light into your eye to observe retinal reflections.
• This helps the doctor diagnose whether a patient is nearsighted or farsighted.

Phoropter Refraction Test

• You look through a phoropter that contains many lenses.
• The optometrist swaps lenses to find the best prescription for clear vision.

Comprehensive Eye Exam

• Eye health, muscular coordination, and retinal dilation are assessed.
• It detects myopia and rules out other eye problems.

Key Points

• During routine eye exams, diagnosis is straightforward.
• Myopia commonly occurs with growing; thus, kids and teens should be evaluated often.
• With heavy screen use or near employment, adults may develop or aggravate myopia.

Nearsightedness treatment and correction

The video is about ways to treat nearsightedness.

Nearsightedness (myopia) can be corrected with glasses, contacts, or surgery, and some treatments may halt its progression in youngsters.

Correction without surgery

• Eyeglasses
• The most common and straightforward treatment is contact lenses.
• Light focuses correctly on the retina when using concave (minus) lenses.

Contacts

• Offer superior cosmetics and wider eyesight.
• Contacts can be designed in soft, stiff, gas-permeable, or orthokeratology styles.

Specific Treatments

• Orthokeratology
• The cornea is temporarily reshaped with overnight rigid contact lenses.
• This allows for clear vision without the need for glasses or contacts during the day.
• Low-Dose Atropine Eye Drops
• This condition slows down the progression of myopia in children.
• This condition is typically prescribed under medical supervision.

Surgical Options

• Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is a procedure that reshapes the cornea to correct vision.
• This procedure is popular for mild-to-moderate myopia due to its quick recovery time.
• PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) is the same as LASIK, but it eliminates the corneal surface layer before reshaping.
• This condition is particularly beneficial for individuals with thin corneas.

New minimally invasive laser procedure: 

• SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction).
• This condition alters the curvature of the cornea by generating and eliminating a tissue component that resembles a lens.
• Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICLs) are artificial lenses inserted into the eye to correct excessive myopia or when corneal surgery is not feasible.

Lifestyle & Prevention

• Children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to develop myopia.
• Limiting close work and observing the “20-20-20 rule” (looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes) are screen habits.
• Regular eye exams are important for early detection and correction of vision problems.

Also, read https://eyewiki.org/Myopia.

Vision protection

• Protect your vision by having regular eye exams, making healthy lifestyle choices, practising safe screen habits, and using UV protection. These steps help to avoid common eye disorders and preserve vision as people age.

Important Vision Protection Methods

• Regular Eye Exams
• Complete dilated eye exams reveal early indicators of glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
• Every 2–4 years for adults under 40, 1–2 years for 40–65, and annually for those above 65.
• Nutrient-Rich Diet
• Omega-3s, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C, and E help eyes.
• Leafy greens, eggs, almonds, salmon, tuna, and citrus fruits are excellent.

Eye Protection against UV Light

• Protect your eyes by wearing 100% UVA/UVB sunglasses.
• Exposure to blue light raises the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
• Practice Screen Safety
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, gaze at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Adjust the screen brightness and maintain a proper distance to reduce digital eye strain.
• Avoid Smoking
• Cataracts, visual nerve damage, and macular degeneration are conditions that increase with smoking.
• Eye Injury Prevention
• Wear protective eyewear whether working with chemicals, playing sports, or doing home maintenance.
• Handle Chronic Conditions
• The blood vessels can be damaged by diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
• Regular eye exams can prevent diabetic retinopathy and vascular eye damage.

Lifestyle Choices for Vision Health

• Physical activity lowers ocular pressure and improves blood circulation.
• Proper hydration helps maintain tear film and prevents dry eyes.
• Lighting is important for reading and working.
• Alcohol can deplete eye nutrition, so it is advisable to drink less.

Does myopia cause blindness?

• Myopia can lead to blindness, but this occurs only when it progresses to high myopia and results in serious complications. Normal myopia, when controlled with glasses or contacts, does not lead to blindness.

Progression of Myopia

• Regular myopia affects most individuals, who typically have mild to moderate cases that can be easily corrected with lenses or surgery.
• Its form does not blind us.

Progressive/High Myopia: 

• Vision deteriorates as the eyeball elongates.
• High myopia, defined as over 6.00 diopters, increases the risk of structural damage to the eye.

Problems That Can Cause Vision Loss

• Stretching the retina makes it more brittle and prone to tearing or separation.
• Myopic Macular Degeneration: Damage to the macula can lead to permanent vision impairment.
• Glaucoma, characterized by high eye pressure, can damage the optic nerves in individuals with myopia.
• Patients with extreme myopia may develop cataracts at an earlier age.

Key Findings

• Complications resulting from high myopia may lead to irreparable visual loss.
• Early detection and treatment for children, including outdoor time, screen limits, atropine drops, and orthokeratology, can minimize the progression of myopia.
• Regular eye exams monitor retinal health and help identify problems early.

Safety & Security

• Encourage children to play outside to slow the progression of myopia.
• Practice screen safety (20-20-20).
• Regular dilated eye exams can detect retinal changes early.
• Flashes, floaters, or shadows may indicate retinal detachment. Seek immediate medical attention.

Conclusion

Although it is common and controllable, increasing myopia can endanger long-term vision. Vision protection and blindness prevention require early identification, correction, and intervention.