Common vision problems
Myopia/Shortsightedness/Nearsightedness
Myopia is a common refractive error, affecting one in five Australians. Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. People with myopia see objects more clearly when they are close to the eye, while distant objects appear blurred or fuzzy.
With myopia, the eyeball is too long, or the cornea is too steep, so images are focused in the vitreous inside the eye rather than on the retina at the back of the eye. The opposite defect of myopia is hyperopia.
Reading and close-up work may be clear, but distance vision is blurry. Most forms of myopia can be managed with corrective lenses. Surgery is available to permanently correct some forms of myopia.
