Myopia of the eyes is a visual impairment. Image focusing in this pathology does not occur on the retina itself, but in front of it. Therefore, a person sees distant objects blurry and indistinct, although objects at a close distance are distinguished by them well. By the way, in Russian myopia is also called myopia.
Today we will look at the causes of myopia, as well as ways to treat and prevent this disease.
Causes of myopia
The described pathology, according to many experts, is a hereditary disease. It has been scientifically proven that eye myopia in children is directly related to the state of vision of their parents. If mom and dad have myopia, then the risk of developing this disease in a child is about 50%! If the parents have normal vision, then it is reduced to 10%.
- Large visual loads also play a significant role in the development of myopia. So, it has been proven that most often the pathology develops in schoolchildren and students, that is, in those whose load onthe eyes are as strong as possible.
- Proper vision correction is important - during the first selection of lenses, it is necessary to be accurate in determining the strength of the patient's vision and exclude false myopia.
- Improper nutrition can also contribute to the development of myopia. If the diet is poor in vitamins and microelements that nourish the tissues that make up the sclera, then the likelihood of myopia increases many times over. To slow down the aging process of the eyes and maintain their he alth, it is recommended to take complexes containing essential carotenoids, enzymes and antioxidants. For example, a biologically active food supplement Okuvayt® Forte. Its components - lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamins C and E, selenium and zinc - help to cope with eye fatigue, as well as prevent visual acuity loss.
- Impaired blood supply to the eye also leads to the development of myopia.
Myopia symptoms
As you probably already understood, the main sign of myopia is a decrease in image clarity when viewing distant objects. A person, trying to make the image clearer, squints, straining his eyes, but objects located nearby, such a patient sees well. In addition to this obvious symptom, myopia is characterized by eye fatigue and headaches.
As a rule, the first signs of a change in vision begin to appear in a child from the age of seven to twelve. By the way, in women, eye myopia progresses up to 20 years, and in men - up to 22. And then vision stabilizes, however, sometimes it canget worse.
Degrees of myopia
Ophthalmologists distinguish three degrees of myopia:
- Mild myopia of the eye is fixed if vision remains at the level of three diopters.
- Middle degree - if the level of vision falls from three to six diopters.
- High degree is characterized by visual impairment of more than six diopters.
Depending on the clinical course, myopia may be progressive or stationary. The first case includes a disease in which an annual increase in lens power by one diopter is required. And this, in turn, can lead to serious complications, up to visual disability, requiring surgical intervention.
Stationary (non-progressive myopia) is a violation of refraction (the process of refraction of light in the organs of vision). It only requires vision correction and no treatment.
What causes eye myopia
According to experts, the manifestations of the described disease are associated with a weakness of accommodation. This is the name in medicine of the ability to change the refractive power of the eye to perceive objects that are at different distances. An important role in the development of this pathology is also played by convergence overvoltage (this is how the ability to reduce the visual axes of the eyes on the object under consideration is determined).
Myopia of the eyes is provoked to a large extent by the stretching of the back of the eye that occurs after the cessation of its growth. This stretch provokes a changeanatomical structure of the eye. And the disturbances of the retina, as well as the choroid of the eyeball, have a particularly strong effect on the clarity of vision. It is they that lead to changes in the fundus of the eye typical of myopia. Stretching, as a rule, is accompanied by fragility of blood vessels with small bruises both in the vitreous body and in the retina. And the slow resorption of these hemorrhages causes clouding in the vitreous.
Correction of mild myopia
Mild myopia of both eyes (up to 3 diopters) in medicine is considered rather not a disease, but a feature of vision. Such a pathology at the present time is, unfortunately, very common. But since it can progress, this vision change should not be ignored.
Mild myopia is treated with correction. Glasses correct refractive errors that cause visual impairment. Scattering glasses are used for correction. By the way, they are suggested to be worn if necessary, since constant wearing can cause an overstrain of accommodation and, as a result, visual impairment.
When prescribing glasses, the degree of myopia must be taken into account. Therefore, in order to avoid errors in false myopia, atropine is instilled into the eyes of children and adolescents, and visual acuity is determined in a state of relaxation of the ciliary muscle.
In addition to vision correction, special exercises for the eyes are used, as well as drugs that relieve spasms of the eye muscles. The general strengthening of the body is also important, it hasa beneficial effect on a person’s condition, and hence his vision: swimming, therapeutic exercises, massage, etc. Proper nutrition will also help in this fight.
Refractive surgery for mild myopia
A very effective way to treat mild myopia is LASIK, which involves the use of a laser to correct a defect in the cornea. This correction allows the light to focus on the retina, and vision becomes normal.
Medium myopia
This degree of myopia is up to 6 diopters. Such patients have to use, as a rule, two pairs of glasses. Some - for distance (with full correction), and others - for reading or work (1-3 diopters less). But in this case, bifocal glasses are also used for permanent wear. In them, the upper part of the glass is intended for viewing distant objects, the lower one is for close ones.
Like mild myopia, moderate myopia can progress. And to avoid this, the patient is offered surgical intervention. It does not improve vision, but only stops its deterioration. This method is called scleroplasty. It helps to increase the number of blood vessels and, as a result, improve the nutrition of the posterior pole of the eye, which leads to stabilization of the patient's condition.
