Myopia or nearsightedness is a refractive error in the eye. It causes objects at a distance to appear blurry and out of focus.  It causes light rays to focus in front of the retina instead of its surface as they should.

Although there is no cure for myopia, there are treatments and strategies to manage it. These can help restore your vision. However, their success depends on whether you are an adult or a child. 

Treatment

Treatment of myopia aims at improving your vision by helping focus light on your retina. Prescription lenses and refractive surgery help in this. But refractive surgery is not suited for children. Researchers have made great strides in other treatments. For example, therapies like orthokeratology have shown great promise. Let us look at how these treatments reduce myopia.

Prescription Lenses

These counteract the increased length of your eye or the curvature of your cornea. They include glasses and contact lenses. Glasses are a safe and simple way to sharpen your vision. They have no direct contact with your eyes. Contact lenses directly placed on your eyes could cause damage if not fitted. Your eye doctor can advise you on which contact lenses are best suited to you.

Refractive Surgery

In refractive surgery, your doctor reshapes your cornea using a laser beam. This option reduces the need for glasses and contact lenses, though you may need to use glasses for some time. There are different types of refractive surgery. 

 

• Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)

In this procedure, your surgeon creates a thin flap with a hinge into your cornea. With a laser, they then remove inner layers and flatten the retina’s dome shape. Recovery is rapid and more comfortable than other surgeries on the cornea.

 

• Laser-Assisted Subepithelial Keratectomy (LASEK)

Unlike in LASIK, your surgeon makes an ultra-thin flap only on the epithelium (outer protective cover) of the cornea. They then use a laser to reshape the outer layers. This helps flatten the curve on your cornea, after which your surgeon replaces the epithelium.

 

• Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)

Though similar to LASEK, PRK does not involve replacing the epithelium. It grows back naturally. As it grows, it conforms to the new shape of the cornea.

Other Treatments

Orthokeratology or ortho-k is mainly effective in adults with mild myopia. It involves the use of rigid, gas-permeable contact lenses to reshape your cornea. You should wear the lenses at night for six to eight hours and remove them in the morning. 

During the night, they flatten the center of your cornea. This helps correct the refraction of light as it enters your eye, allowing you to see well without prescription glasses or lenses. For the best results, ortho-k lenses should be consistently worn every night. 

For more on the reduction of myopia in adults, visit Look! Optometry at our office in Manhattan Beach, California. You can call (310) 796-5665 today to schedule an appointment.