Myopia (Nearsightedness) Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Do you have trouble clearly reading street signs when you drive? Does your child always sit a little too close to the TV? Both are examples of myopia, also known as nearsightedness — one of the most common vision impairments in the world. And there's no end in sight: Studies estimate that by 2050, nearly 50% of the world's population will have it.¹

Nearsightedness can be caused by a variety of factors and corrected with a range of traditional and emerging treatments. Learn more about the symptoms of myopia, treatment options and what you can expect to pay to correct your vision.

How Healthy Vision Works

Knowing how vision is supposed to work can make it easier to understand how myopia interferes with it:²

• Light passes through the cornea (the clear dome-shaped front of the eye) and the lens (a clear inner part of the eye).
• The cornea and lens work together to bend (refract) the light so that it's focused on the retina (a light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye).
• The retina translates light into signals sent via the optic nerve to the brain, which turns the signals into the images you see.

What Is Myopia (Nearsightedness)?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a vision condition in which people can only see clearly up close, but anything at a distance looks blurry. It's a refractive error caused by the shape of the eye and typically happens because the eye is too long from front to back or the cornea is curved too steeply. Both issues make it so the light entering the eye doesn't bend properly, causing it to fall just short of the retina and making distant objects appear blurry and close objects look clear.¹

Types

There are three types of myopia, ranging in severity:¹

• Low myopia (mild nearsightedness). Less than -3.00
• Moderate myopia (moderate nearsightedness). -3.00 to -6.00
• High myopia (severe nearsightedness). Greater than -6.00

High myopia can lead to serious complications, such as cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment.¹

Myopia vs. hyperopia

While people with myopia have trouble seeing far away, people with hyperopia (farsightedness) have difficulty seeing up close. Farsightedness happens when the eyeball is too short from front to back or because of problems with the cornea's shape. So light falls behind the retina instead of focusing directly on it.³

Some farsightedness is normal for children. Most kids don't experience blurred vision because their eyes automatically focus. Over time, however, children typically become less farsighted and may become nearsighted instead.⁴

Symptoms of Nearsightedness

Symptoms of myopia may include:¹

• Difficulty seeing distant objects clearly
• Eye strain
• Headaches
• Squinting

These symptoms can impact daily life in the following ways:

• Academic delays. Children with uncorrected myopia may experience delays in reading or other educational skills.⁵
• Poor work performance. Uncorrected myopia can affect your ability to perform well at work or other tasks.
• Safety impairment. You can jeopardize your safety and the safety of others if you have uncorrected nearsightedness, particularly when driving a vehicle or operating heavy equipment.

Keep in mind that children who are nearsighted may not show obvious signs or symptoms. After all, if their distance vision has always been blurry, they may not realize that other people can see more clearly. That's one reason why regular eye exams are important for everyone — even those without symptoms of visual impairment.¹

Treatments for Nearsightedness

While there is no cure for myopia, treatment can help.⁴ Most eye doctors offer traditional as well as emerging treatment options.

Traditional treatments

Traditional treatments for myopia include wearable and surgical correction:

• Eyeglasses. If you're nearsighted, glasses are a common and easy choice for vision correction.¹ With low or moderate myopia, you may only need to wear glasses for activities like driving or watching a movie; with high myopia, you may need to wear them all the time.⁶
• Contact lenses. Some people find that contact lenses provide clearer vision and a wider field of view than eyeglasses do.⁶ Keep in mind, though, that with any contact lenses, there's a chance of corneal infection — so it's important to wear, clean and store the lenses correctly to safeguard the health of your eyes.¹
• Refractive surgery. This type of surgery corrects nearsightedness by reshaping the cornea to adjust how light travels through it. Common types of refractive surgery include LASIK, PRK and SMILE.¹ After surgery, you may still need to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses some of the time.⁷ Potential complications of refractive surgery include poor night vision and seeing a glare or halo around lights.¹

Emerging treatments

More recently introduced treatments for myopia are designed to lessen the occurrence and progression of myopia and include:

• Orthokeratology (ortho-k). This myopia treatment option involves wearing rigid contact lenses overnight to temporarily reshape the cornea while you sleep.⁶ For people with low myopia, ortho-k can provide clear vision during the day without glasses or contact lenses.⁶ Potential complications include serious, vision-threatening eye infections.¹
• Atropine eye drops. A low daily dose of these medicated drops may slow the progression of myopia in children (although they will still need glasses or contact lenses to see clearly). Patients must place the drops in each eye at bedtime, daily for several years, to keep the eyes from lengthening too much. Low-dose atropine drops may cause side effects like redness or itchiness around the eye.¹
• Vision therapy. If your nearsightedness is caused by a spasm of the muscles that control eye focusing, vision therapy may help.⁶ This evidence-based program is designed to train the eyes and brain to work as a team and to strengthen visual skills like accommodation — the ability to adjust your focus between near and distant objects.⁸ While vision therapy may not fully reverse myopia, it may slow the progression of the condition.⁸

How Much Does Myopia Treatment Cost?

Take a look at the national average costs* and insurance coverage associated with traditional and emerging treatments for myopia in the table below.⁹

Average cost of myopia treatments by type

What Causes Nearsightedness?

The exact cause of myopia is unknown, but many people inherit the tendency to develop this condition. If one of your parents has myopia, there's a greater chance that you'll have it, too.¹

Lifestyle choices and work habits may also contribute to myopia. People who spend a lot of time reading, working at a computer or playing video games may be more likely to become nearsighted.⁶ On the flip side, spending more time outdoors exposed to natural light can decrease the likelihood of developing myopia in children.¹

Myopia usually starts in childhood, progressing until about age 20. However, adults may become nearsighted as a result of visual stress or health conditions like diabetes.⁶

How Myopia Is Diagnosed

Eye doctors can check for myopia as part of a comprehensive eye exam. Tests for nearsightedness include a visual acuity test, in which you read an eye chart with different sized letters or symbols to test your distance vision.

Visual acuity (clarity or sharpness of vision) is written as a fraction:⁶

• The top number is the standard distance at which testing is performed (20 feet).
• The bottom number is the smallest letter size you can read.

For example, someone who is nearsighted may have 20/40 visual acuity, which means they would have to get within 20 feet to identify a letter that could be seen clearly at 40 feet in a normal eye. Normal visual acuity is 20/20.⁶

Choosing a Treatment Provider

Early detection and intervention are essential to slowing the progression of myopia.⁵ As you consider treatment options, it's important to find an eye doctor you trust. Ask your primary care physician, family and friends for recommendations and check your insurance plan to find in-network providers in your area.

Myopia treatment providers include:¹¹

• Ophthalmologists. These specialists have a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. They diagnose and treat eye conditions and perform eye surgeries like LASIK.
• Optometrists. These specialists have a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree. They perform eye exams, prescribe glasses and contact lenses and screen for and treat certain vision conditions. Some optometrists may offer consultations for vision therapy.

You can also visit the American Academy of Ophthalmology or the American Optometric Association online to find an experienced myopia treatment provider near you.

If you've been diagnosed with myopia, there are options available to help you regain clear distance vision. Talk with your doctor to select the myopia treatment that best meets your visual and lifestyle needs.

Financing Eye Exams With the CareCredit Credit Card

Regular eye exams are an important part of your eye health. Whether you’re getting an eye exam or paying for eye surgery, the CareCredit credit card can help you pay for care where your insurance leaves off.** Use our Acceptance Locator to find a vision specialist near you that accepts CareCredit. Continue your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your account, find a provider on the go and easily access the Well U blog for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

In addition to vision care, you can also use your CareCredit credit card for dentistry, cosmetic, pet care, hearing, health systems, dermatology, pharmacy purchases, spa treatments and so much more within the CareCredit network. How will you invest in your health and wellness next?

Author Bio

Robyn Tellefsen is a freelance writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering health and wellness, finance and more. Her work has appeared on sites such as LoopNet, Beachside Rehab, First Horizon Bank, SoFi, A Place for Mom, American Express, Chase and more.