MYOPIA - THE NEARSIGHTED EYE

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In the Myopic Eye...

More than 70 million people in North America are nearsighted. Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. Myopia occurs when an eye is too long for the cornea's curvature. Light rays entering the eye do not come to a sharp focus on the retina at the back of the eye. Instead, they focus further forward, producing a blurred image. This is demonstrated in the diagram above. 

The term 'nearsighted' means that you can see 'near' objects clearly without your glasses, but objects further in the distance are blurry. There are varying degrees of myopia or nearsightedness. When the eye is myopic or nearsighted, it is possible to place a lens in front of the eye to bring the image into clear focus on the retina. The more myopic you are, the more blurred objects appear in the distance, the higher your eyeglass prescription and the thicker your glasses. 

When glasses are added...

Of all myopic people, about 90% have corrections less than -6.00 diopters. Click Here for a table that shows the categories of severity for myopia: