In optical world, there are three most common problem regarding human vision; they are Myopia (short sight), Hypermetropia (long sight), Astigmatism (a refractive error due to an unevenly curved cornea), and Presbyopia (an age-related refractive error). Among the four, myopia is known as the most common optical disorder in the world. People suffering from myopia have difficulty in recognizing object clearly from afar.
In myopia case, people tend to see images which are focused in front of the retina instead of directly on to the retina. To help such optical disorder, one needs spectacles or contact lenses to make the eyes work properly. In further acute cases, myopia can cause blindness in adult, especially in patients with higher degrees of myopia (pathological myopia). Interestingly, myopia disorders mostly develop during childhood. Then, what are the causes of myopia?
Children who more often spend their time indoor are likely having greater chance to suffer from myopia. Lack of outdoor activities and sports can increase the risk of having myopia. In addition, certain activities like reading books in which its distance to the eyes is too narrow can also cause myopia. A study in Singapore also showed that there was a significant correlation between the degree of myopia and the number of books read per week in school children. The more books a child read, the more likely he suffers from myopia. The time spent for reading also contributes towards the risk of myopia. The more hours a child read; the more likely he gets myopia.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been found any effective cure for myopia. In fact, myopia patients tend to have higher risk of getting glaucoma and cataracts at a younger age. Thus, it is very important to prevent myopia. Equally important, if in the meantime you are having myopia, you need to prevent it from getting serious. Then, what can you do to prevent myopia?
- Do more outdoor activities
- Do not read in dim lighted room
- Wear glasses rather than contact lens. Wearing contact lenses is indeed more simple and easy, yet supporting your appearance. However, wearing contact lenses need extra care and hygiene. In fact, it is not rare to find myopia patients having worse condition after wearing contact lenses.
- Do regular eye checks. The frequency of regular eye check depends on your age, your family history and any pre-existing medical conditions. The level of your myopia also influences the frequency you need to do eye check. If you are over 60 years of age, it is also recommended that you take annual eye check. Meanwhile, if you are over 50 years of age, eye check should be done at least every two years.
