Myopia is the condition where the distant objects appear blurry and out of focus. This is caused when the eyes are longer than usual. As a result, the distance between the cornea and your retina is greater than in normal eyes. LASIK eye surgery can rectify myopia.
Here are a few frequently asked questions on Myopia:
1. What causes Myopia?
Nearsightedness or Myopia is caused when the shape of your eyeball is more than normal eyeballs. However, in some cases, myopia is also caused by a change in the cornea or the lens. Due to these problems, the light rays entering the eye focus in front of the retina instead focusing directly on it.
2. What are the symptoms of Myopia?
The initial symptom of Myopia is blurred vision. When you look at distant objects, it will appear blurred. You will find yourself squinting and frowning while looking at distant images and objects. You will get frequent headaches, and you won’t be able to read books or newspaper properly without holding it too close to your eyes.
3. When do we develop Myopia?
Usually, nearsightedness begins in your childhood, between the ages of 6 to 12. While you are in your teenage, your eyeballs grow quickly. At that time either it will grow quickly or get worse quickly. By the time you reach 20 years, myopia stops getting worse. Most of the time, the condition stabilises at mild or moderate levels.
Source: http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/tc/nearsightedness-myopia-topic-overview#1
4. What are the treatment options for myopia?
Usually, the eye specialist prescribes glasses and corrective lenses for correcting myopic vision. These lenses and glasses help in focusing the images directly onto your retina so that you can see properly. However, these glasses and lenses do not cure the condition. You need to wear them for doing certain activities such as driving a car or reading distant boards or for viewing things located far away.
Apart from these, the doctors may also suggest surgical procedures for vision correction. The most common process for treating myopia is Laser in-Situ Keratomileusis or LASIK eye surgery. Another process used for treating Myopic vision is PRK or Photorefractive Keratectomy.
5. What is LASIK eye surgery?
LASIK eye surgery is commonly used for correcting vision related problems such as Myopia, Hyperopia, and Astigmatism. In this procedure, the cornea of your eye is reshaped so that that light that is entering the eye focuses directly on the retina and you get a clear vision. This is a painless procedure and takes only 15 minutes to complete. The eye surgeon will cut a circular flap on your cornea and then removes some of the corneal tissue using an excimer laser. For myopic vision, the surgeon flattens the cornea, and for farsightedness, the surgeon makes it steeper. There are many places in Kolkata where LASIK eye surgery is performed.
Source: http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/lasik.htm
6. What is Photorefractive Keratectomy and how it helps?
Like LASIK eye surgery, PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) too works by reshaping the cornea using an excimer laser. The only difference between LASIK and PRK is the initial steps of the procedure. In LASIK, the surgeon cuts a thin flap in the cornea using a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser. In PRK, the eye surgeon cuts the outer layer of the cornea and discards is before reshaping the corneal tissue using excimer laser. The top layer grows back in a few days after the surgery. And that is why recovery of PRK takes longer than LASIK.
Another variation of PRK called LASEK is also performed. In this procedure, the surgeon lifts the outer epithelial layer and preserves it. At the end of the surgery, the layer is them put back on the eye surface.
Source: http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/prk.htm
7. Can we prevent Myopia?
The development of myopia depends on your genes and your environment. There is no way that you can prevent Myopia. However, you can definitely prevent it from worsening. Use glasses and contact lenses prescribed by the doctor. Remember that, glasses and contact lenses won’t cure the condition, but they will help you enjoy better vision.
Source: https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/eye-and-vision-problems/glossary-of-eye-and-vision-conditions/myopia/common-myopia-myths/common-myopia-myths?sso=y
8. How is myopia diagnosed?
The doctor will perform a thorough eye check-up for diagnosing myopia. The eye examination may begin with a visual acuity test. In this test, the eye doctor may use a standardised chart of letters of varied size. You will be asked to cover one eye and read that chart aloud. If the test results show that you have myopia, then the doctor will use a retinoscope to examine your eyes. Using that retinoscope, the doctor will throw light into your eyes and evaluate the reflection off the retina. This is used for determining the degree of refractive error in your eyes.
9. What is Degenerative Myopia?
Also known as pathological or malignant myopia, this condition is very rare. This is mostly inherited, and symptoms begin to appear in early childhood. In this condition, your eyeball elongates rapidly, thus causing severe myopia. The condition gets worse usually by teenage or youth. This condition may even get worse during your adult years. People with this condition are highly susceptible to retinal detachment and other conditions such as glaucoma and choroid neovascularization (an abnormal growth of blood vessel).
10. What is High Myopia?
This is a severe form of myopia. In this condition, your eyeball keeps growing and elongates from front to back. This increases your risk for retinal detachment and an early development of other eye conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts.
Source: https://nei.nih.gov/health/errors/myopia
Looking for places where you can undergo LASIK eye surgery in Kolkata? If yes, then book an appointment with Disha Eye Hospital. They have a team of highly qualified experts and eye surgeons dedicated to resolving any eye problems. If you want to know LASIK eye surgery cost or want to book an appointment at Disha Eye Hospital, visit http://www.dishaeye.org/appointment.