Short-sightedness facts for kids

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness or near-sightedness, is a common eye condition. It means your eyes have trouble seeing things clearly when they are far away. Things up close, like a book or a phone, usually look clear. This condition often runs in families, so if your parents or siblings have it, you might too.

Glasses are commonly used to address near-sightedness.

What is Myopia?

Myopia happens when your eye doesn't focus light correctly. Imagine your eye is like a camera. For a camera to take a clear picture, light needs to focus perfectly on the film or sensor. In your eye, the "film" is called the retina. When you have myopia, the light focuses in front of your retina instead of directly on it. This makes distant objects look blurry.

Why Does Myopia Happen?

Myopia usually develops for one of two main reasons:

• The eyeball is too long: If your eyeball is a bit longer than average from front to back, light focuses too early.
• The cornea is too curved: The cornea is the clear front part of your eye. If it's too curved, it bends light too much, causing it to focus in front of the retina.

Both of these issues mean that when light enters your eye, it creates a clear image before it even reaches the retina. By the time the light hits the retina, the image is already blurry.

How to Spot Myopia

People with myopia often notice that things far away, like road signs or the board at school, look fuzzy. They might:

• Squint to try and see distant objects more clearly.
• Sit closer to the television or computer screen.
• Have trouble seeing clearly when driving or playing sports.
• Complain of headaches or eye strain.

If you notice these signs, it's a good idea to tell a parent or guardian. An eye doctor can easily check your vision.

Correcting Myopia

The good news is that myopia is usually easy to correct! There are several ways to help your eyes focus properly:

Glasses

Wearing glasses is one of the most common and simple ways to correct myopia. Glasses have special lenses that help bend the light rays so they focus directly on your retina. This makes distant objects look clear again.

Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are small, thin lenses that you wear directly on the surface of your eye. They work just like glasses by correcting how light focuses. Many people prefer contact lenses because they are less noticeable than glasses.

Eye Surgery

For some adults, surgery can be an option to permanently change the shape of the cornea. This helps the eye focus light correctly without glasses or contact lenses. This type of surgery is usually not recommended for children or teenagers because their eyes are still developing.

Eye Exercises

While not a full correction, some people find that regularly looking at distant objects can help their eyes. This practice can sometimes help reduce eye strain and might slow down the progression of myopia in some cases. However, it's important to always follow an eye doctor's advice for managing your vision.

See also

In Spanish: Miopía para niños