What Is Myopia? Causes and Treatment Options for Nearsightedness

Do you have trouble clearly reading street signs when you drive? Does your child always sit a little too close to the TV?

You or your child could be suffering from myopia (nearsightedness), the most common cause of impaired vision in people under 40.¹ Nearsightedness affects nearly 30% of the U.S. population,² and the problem is growing — studies estimate that by 2050, 50% of the global population will have myopia .¹

Learn more about this vision disorder to help you identify it early and can get the treatment you need.

How Healthy Vision Works

First, here's a quick primer on how vision works:³

• Light passes through the cornea (the clear window at the front of the eye) and the lens (a clear structure about the size and shape of an M&M's® candy).
• The cornea and lens refract (bend) the light so that it's focused directly on the retina (light-sensitive nerve tissue) at the back of the eye.
• The retina translates light into signals sent to the brain, enabling you to perceive images.

What Is Myopia?

Myopia is a vision condition in which people can only see clearly up close — anything at a distance looks blurry.²

This refractive error typically happens because of one of two issues:¹

• The eyeball is too long from front to back (axial myopia).
• The cornea is curved too steeply (refractive myopia).

As a result, light rays that enter the eye fall just short of the retina, making distant objects appear blurry and close objects look clear.⁴ While some people can have a combination of axial and refractive myopia, axial myopia is the most common cause of nearsightedness, especially in childhood.¹

Types

There are three types of myopia, ranging in severity:⁵

• Low myopia (mild nearsightedness): Up to -3.00
• Moderate myopia (moderate nearsightedness): -3.00 to -6.00
• High myopia (severe nearsightedness): -6.00 or greater

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

Hyperopia vs. myopia

While people with myopia have trouble seeing far away, people with hyperopia (farsightedness) have difficulty seeing up close.¹ Farsightedness happens when the eyeball is too short from front to back or when the cornea is curved too little,³ so images fall behind the retina instead of focusing directly on it.¹

Most babies are born farsighted because the eyes are too short from front to back.¹ However, most kids don't experience blurred vision because their eyes automatically focus.⁴ Over time, however, children typically become less farsighted and may become nearsighted instead.⁴

Myopia Causes

The exact cause of myopia is unknown, but many people inherit the tendency to develop this condition.² If one of your parents has myopia, your risk of nearsightedness may be three times higher; if both your parents are nearsighted, your risk may be six times higher.¹

Lifestyle choices and work habits may also contribute to myopia.² People who spend a lot of time reading, working at a computer or playing video games may be more likely to become nearsighted.² In fact, high levels of screen time on smart devices is associated with an approximately 30% higher risk of myopia.² When combined with excessive computer use, the risk rises to about 80%.²

On the flip side, spending at least 90 minutes a day outdoors may reduce the risk of developing myopia and help delay its onset.¹

Myopia usually starts in childhood, progressing until about age 20.² However, adults may become nearsighted as a result of visual stress or health conditions like diabetes.²

Symptoms of Myopia

Symptoms of myopia may include:¹

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

These symptoms can impact daily life in the following ways:³

• Academic delays. Children with uncorrected myopia may experience delays in reading or other educational skills.
• 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.
• Poor work performance. Uncorrected myopia can affect your ability to perform well at work or other tasks.

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

How Myopia Is Diagnosed

Eye doctors can check for myopia as part of a comprehensive eye exam.² 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.⁶

Visual acuity (clarity or sharpness of vision) is written as a fraction:²

• 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.² Normal visual acuity is 20/20.²

If your eye doctor gives you a prescription for corrective lenses, you can check the strength of the correction you need.¹ Prescriptions for nearsightedness are written as a minus sign before a number. The higher the number, the more severe the myopia.¹

Traditional Treatments for Myopia

While there is no cure for myopia, treatment can help.⁷ Traditional treatments include:

• Eyeglasses. If you're nearsighted, glasses are the primary choice for vision correction.² These corrective lenses are designed to provide clear vision at all distances.² 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.²
• Contact lenses. Some people find that contact lenses provide clearer vision and a wider field of view than eyeglasses do.² Keep in mind, though, that with any contact lenses, there's a risk of corneal infection — so it's important to wear, clean and store the lenses correctly to safeguard the health of your eyes.⁵
• Refractive surgery. This type of surgery corrects nearsightedness by reshaping the cornea to adjust how light travels through it.⁵ Common types of refractive surgery include LASIK, LASEK, PRK and SMILE.⁶ Note that refractive surgery is not an option until your myopia prescription has stabilized.¹ After surgery, you may still need to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses some of the time.⁶ Potential complications of refractive surgery include poor night vision and seeing a glare or halo around lights.⁵

Emerging Treatments for Myopia

Emerging treatments for myopia include:

• Orthokeratology (ortho-k). This myopia treatment option involves wearing rigid contact lenses overnight to temporarily reshape the cornea while you sleep.¹ For people with low myopia, ortho-k can provide clear vision during the day without glasses or contact lenses.¹ While ortho-k can be effective in reducing myopia progression,¹ risks include serious, vision-threatening eye infections.⁵
• Atropine eye drops. A low daily dose of these medicated drops slows the progression of myopia in 80% of children.⁵ For several years, patients must place the drops in each eye at bedtime to keep the eyes from lengthening too much.⁵ Note that children on atropine treatment will still need eyeglasses or contact lenses to see clearly.⁸ Low-dose atropine drops may cause side effects like redness or itchiness around the eye,⁵ while high-dose drops can cause light sensitivity and headaches.¹
• Vision therapy. If your nearsightedness is caused by a spasm of the muscles that control eye focusing, vision therapy may help.² 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.⁷ While vision therapy may not fully reverse myopia, it may slow the progression of the condition.⁷

Choosing a Myopia Treatment Provider

Early detection and intervention are essential to slowing the progression of myopia.¹ As you consider treatment options, it's important to find an eye doctor you trust.⁹ Ask your primary care physician, family and friends for recommendations and check your insurance plan to find in-network providers in your area.⁹

Myopia treatment providers include:

• Ophthalmologists. These specialists have a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) degree.⁶ They perform eye exams, prescribe glasses and contact lenses, diagnose and treat eye conditions and perform eye surgeries like LASIK.⁴
• Optometrists. These specialists have a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree.⁶ They perform eye exams, prescribe glasses and contact lenses, and screen for and treat certain vision conditions.⁴ Behavioral or developmental optometrists may offer consultations for vision therapy.¹⁰

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

Cost of Myopia Treatments

Take a look at the average costs and insurance coverage associated with traditional and emerging treatments for myopia:

Paying for myopia treatment

If you have vision insurance, ask your provider what myopia treatments are covered and what your out-of-pocket costs will be.⁹ If you don't have vision insurance, call your eye doctor and find out how much the treatment will cost.⁹

You may want to use your health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) funds to help cover the costs of treatment for myopia.¹³ You may also choose a financing option like the CareCredit credit card, which allows you to pay for treatment with convenient monthly payments.*

If you've been diagnosed with myopia, options are available to help you regain clear distance vision.² Talk with your doctor to select the myopia treatment that best meets your visual and lifestyle needs.²

Financing Myopia Treatment With the CareCredit Credit Card

Whether you're needing eye surgery or getting an eye exam, the CareCredit credit card can help you pay for care where your insurance leaves off.* Apply today and 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 hub for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

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.