Demystifying Myopia

Myopia or shortsightedness is one of most common refractive errors in the world that affects your ability to see objects far away but it can be easily treated with Laser Eye Surgery at Optilase.

In a normal eye, parallel rays of light pass through the body of the eye where they are bent, or refracted before landing on the retina at the back of the eye.

But when there is a refractive error, such as in the case of a myopic eye, those light rays tend to land in front of, rather than on the retina. Because of this misplacement of the refracted light, you will experience blurred vision.

How Eye Structure affects Myopia

The internal structure of your eye is intrinsically linked to the likelihood of you suffering from myopia:

• Axial Myopia: Length of your eyeball is longer than normal
• Corneal Myopia: Curvature of the cornea is too steep.
• Lenticular Myopia: Abnormally shaped lens

Three Types of Myopia

• Simple Myopia – The condition is present at birth or manifests shortly thereafter.
• Acquired Myopia – Myopia can be influenced by environmental factors and constant use of near vision can cause the eye focusing mechanism to severely affect distance vision. Prolonged periods of reading, as well as the use of computer games, smartphones and computers can trigger myopia.
• Induced Myopia – With certain diseases such as diabetes, near vision can be reduced when the cornea, lens or retina are affected.

How does Laser Eye Surgery correct Myopia?

In order to eliminate myopia using Laser Eye Surgery, the refractive index of the eye must be lessened so that light rests on the retina instead of in front of it.

Laser Eye Surgery works by removing microscopic amounts of corneal tissue in order to flatten its curvature slightly in order to lengthen the focal point of incoming light.

In less than 30 minutes, both myopic eyes are corrected and distance vision is restored so that you never have to rely on glasses or contact lenses again.

If you suffer from myopia and are interested in corrective Laser Eye Surgery, call Optilase to book your free consultation on +353 1 223 8821.