Myopia is a refractive defect in vision, which mainly occurs when light does not focus on the retina of the eye. Myopia, also called shortsightedness is the condition where distant objects look obscure or are blurred. This is because light is focused in front of the retina rather than onto it, which causes blurring of the distant objects.
American Optometric Association estimates that almost 30% of people suffer from myopia globally.
Causes-
Refractive Surgery-
Refractive surgery is an effective method, used for correcting your vision. There are various surgical procedures meant for adjusting the eye's focusing capability. This is done by altering the shape of the cornea (the transparent layer forming the front of the eye), or clearing the front portion of your eye. Another procedure includes embedding a lens inside your eye. LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a widely performed surgery used to reshape the cornea of the eyes. Other procedures include Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), Laser-assisted sub epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) and Epithelial laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (Epi-LASIK).
This is further divided into two main procedures-
While suffering from myopia, the images are focused in front of the retina due to a longer eye or steeper corneal curve. After surgery, the images are pushed directly onto the retina or closer.
Complications-
Benefits of the Surgery-
Refractive surgery is a good option for the patients because-
Post-Operative Care-
A comprehensive eye evaluation is to be done to evaluate the physiological and anatomic condition of the eye. The doctor also prescribes certain eye drops that should be routinely applied.
Implantable Contact Lens-
The ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) is a ‘refractive error solution’ for those who wish to remove power for high quality vision correction. It is also used to correct the widest range of myopia.
ICL is a soft contact lens implanted into the eye through a small incision. The procedure takes only 5-10 minutes. Since it is like a permanent fixture of the eye, there is no need to remove it frequently, unlike any normal contact lens, which requires a lot of maintenance.
Advantages-
Implanted in over thousands of people worldwide, the amazing improvement in vision quality after using ICL has proved its capability over the last 15 years. Some people also consider ICL as an alternative to LASIK because the ICL takes refractive surgery beyond the limits of LASIK. Hence, the ICL is not just an alternative; it is a good choice for superior quality of vision.