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 fuzzy, although objects located at a close distance, they differ well. By the way, in Russian, myopia is also called myopia.
Today we will consider the causes of myopia, as well as methods of treatment and prevention of this disease.
Causes of Myopia
The described pathology, according to many experts, is a hereditary disease. It is scientifically proven that myopia of the eye in children is directly related to the state of vision of their parents. If mom and dad are shortsighted, then the risk of developing this disease in a child is about 50%! If the parents have normal vision, then it decreases to 10%.
- A significant role in the development of myopia is also played by large visual loads. So, it is proved that most often pathology develops in schoolchildren and students, that is, for those whose eye strain is as strong as possible.
- The correct vision correction is important - during the first selection of lenses it is necessary to be accurate in determining the patient's visual power and to exclude false myopia.
- Improper nutrition can also contribute to the development of myopia. If the diet is poor in vitamins and trace elements that nourish the tissues that make up the sclera, then the likelihood of myopia increases many times.
- Disorders of the blood supply to the eye also lead to the development of myopia.
Symptoms of myopia
As you probably already understood, the main sign of myopia is a decrease in the clarity of the image when viewing distant objects. A man, trying to make the image clearer, squints, straining his eyes, but objects located close by, such a patient sees well. In addition to this overt 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 seven to twelve years of age. By the way, in women, myopia of the eye progresses to 20 years, and in men - to 22. And then the vision stabilizes, however, it can sometimes worsen.
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.
- Medium - if the level of vision falls from three to six diopters.
- A high degree is characterized by visual impairment of more than six diopters.
Depending on the clinical course, myopia can 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 requires only vision correction and does not need treatment.
What causes myopia of the eyes
According to experts, the manifestations of the described disease are associated with weak accommodation. So called in medicine the ability to change the refractive capabilities of the eye for the perception of objects that are at different distances. An important role in the development of this pathology is also played by the overvoltage of convergence (this determines the ability to reduce the visual axes of the eyes on the object under consideration).
Myopia of the eyes is provoked to a large extent by a stretching of the back of the eye that occurs after the cessation of its growth. This stretching provokes a change in the anatomical structure of the eye. And especially severely affect the clarity of vision disorders of the retina, as well as the choroid of the eyeball. They lead to typical fundus changes for myopia. Stretching, as a rule, is accompanied by fragility of blood vessels with small bruises in the vitreous body and in the retina. A slow resorption of these hemorrhages causes turbidity in the vitreous.
Correction of weak myopia
The weak degree 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 change in vision cannot be ignored.
Mild myopia is treated with correction. Glasses correct refractive errors that provoke visual impairment. For correction, scattering glasses are used. By the way, they are offered to be worn if necessary, since constant wear can cause overstrain of accommodation and, as a result, blurred vision.
When appointing points, the degree of myopia is necessarily taken into account. Therefore, to avoid mistakes in false myopia, children and adolescents instill atropine in the eyes, and in a state of relaxation of the ciliary muscle visual acuity is determined .
In addition to vision correction, special exercises for the eyes are used, as well as drugs that relieve spasms of the eye muscles. Equally important is the general strengthening of the body, it has a beneficial effect on the condition of a person, 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 the LASIK operation, which involves the use of a laser to correct a corneal defect. This correction allows the light to focus on the retina, and vision becomes normal.
Moderate 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 constant wear. In them, the upper part of the glass is intended for viewing distant objects, the lower - for loved 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 contributes to an increase in the number of vessels and, as a result, to an improvement in the nutrition of the posterior pole of the eye, which leads to stabilization of the patient's condition.