Myopia or nearsightedness typically manifests in early childhood between the age of 6 and 12. The primary symptom of this condition is difficulty in seeing distant objects. If you find yourself struggling to read a book and compelled to hold it very close to your eyes, then you may have myopic vision. If left untreated, it can cause poor performance in school and other activities. When in doubt, visit an ophthalmologist for a checkup at the earliest.
Which of these are the signs of myopia?
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If you find that your child is squinting or frowning while seeing distant objects or complains of discomfort while reading books, then he or she might have myopia. Children who have short-sightedness tend to move closer to the computer or television screen to watch objects clearly. In all these instances, an early diagnosis may play a vital role as it can help in the complete cure of this disease.
In particular cases, myopia can be hereditary.
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If both the parents have myopia, then their child is at high risk of having the ailment. If this is the case with your child, you should constantly monitor his or her vision by consulting with an ophthalmologist at least twice a year. In a research conducted by the University of Western Australia, it was found that lack of sunlight exposure can also contribute to myopia. Understand if your child is at risk and act accordingly.
Focusing on objects closely for a long span of time does not cause damage to the eye muscles.
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When you focus closely on any object for a longer span, the Ciliary muscles which are responsible for the task, tend to lock up. As a result of this, the structure of the eyes may become elongated which in turn, worsens myopia. Consult with a doctor to know what your options of treating myopia are.
There are different procedures for diagnosing myopia.
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The ophthalmologist may seek resort to a host of methods to find out whether you are myopic or not. For instance, he may ask you to identify some letters which are printed on the chart which is generally represented by the fraction 20/20. He may also use an automated machine for determining the ability of the eyes to focus. The power would then be adjusted according to the response of the eyes so that you can get the clearest possible vision. The optometrist may place different types of lenses before the eyes of the patient and measure how the eyes are focusing light with the help of a Retinoscope.
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