Myopia FAQs in Leawood, KS

As your choice eye doctor in Leawood, our friendly and dedicated team is here to help patients of all ages in enjoy clear vision and better overall eye health. By educating our patients on the importance of preventative vision care, we hope to catch common eye health conditions and vision issues early on. One of the frequent reasons that patients visit our offices each day is to seek help with correcting nearsightedness or myopia.

What is Myopia?

Myopia is the medical term used to describe nearsightedness. With this type of vision condition, patients typically have no issues seeing objects that are close to them, while objects that are further away are blurred or out of focus.

What Causes Myopia?

If the cornea has too much of a curve or they eyeball is slightly too long, light entering the eye isn’t focused correctly. Most often, myopia is caused by hereditary factors. However, some research has suggested that stressing the eye with a lot of close vision work may also contribute to the development of myopia.

Is Myopia Really That Common?

Yes. Studies show that almost 30 percent of the US population is affected by myopia. Because the eye continues to grow during childhood, most cases of myopia present before a patient turns 20.

How Can My Eye Doctor Diagnose Myopia?

If you notice that you or your child are often squinting, having trouble seeing the chalkboard clearly in class or you cannot read road signs, these issues may be indicators that they have myopia. With a comprehensive eye health and vision examination, our Leawood optometrist can test for myopia and recommend treatment.

What Are My Treatment Options?

Most often, eyeglasses or contact lenses are used to correct myopia. These handy accessories easily alter the way that your eyes focus on images so that you can see more clearly. However, they do not “cure” myopia. Ortho-K lenses can also help to gradually reshape the cornea offering a more permanent vision correction option.

Surgical options for correcting myopia are also an option. Common surgical procedures that may be recommended to you or your child include LASIK vision correction and PRK.

Schedule an Appointment Today

Want to learn more about our safe and effective treatment options for myopia? If you are struggling to see clearly, our optometrist can help! Call (913) 239-9446 or visit us online today to schedule an initial consultation.