Myopia, or as doctors call it,Myopia is a disease in which the human eye has difficulty distinguishing images and objects located far away. In this case, the image does not fall on a certain part of the retina, but is displayed in a plane located in front of it. That is why it is perceived as blurry, fuzzy. This occurs due to the discrepancy between the power of the optical system of the eyeball and its length. Usually, in nearsighted people it is increased (axial myopia), but the disease can also occur as a result of too much power of the refractive apparatus (the so-called refractive myopia). The greater the discrepancy, the more significant the problem. Today, this is a social and clinical scourge, quite common among schoolchildren - almost 12% of children suffer from it. Basically, the first symptoms of myopia appear at a young age, and over the years the situation only worsens.
Why does this disease occur?
The fact is that myopia as a biologicalthe concept is an ambiguous phenomenon. Many scientists consider it not a disease, but a variant of the norm. All cases are united by one feature - the visual installation of the eye. This physical category is characterized by the fact that with a combination of certain parameters of the human cornea (the length of the anterior-posterior ocular axis and the lens), the main focus of the optical system is located in front of the retina, which is characteristic of all types of myopia. Such features can be due to various reasons. The original pathogenetic mechanisms of the appearance of myopia have not been studied enough, as well as hereditary pathology, intrauterine diseases, structural and biochemical transformations of tissues with the growth of the body, etc. The immediate causes due to which myopic refraction is formed are better known. The main characteristics of the disease are considered to be: an increase in the visual power of the refractive apparatus of the eyeball and an excessively large size (more precisely, the length) of the axial length.
How does the disease manifest itself?
Basically, myopia begins withtypical complaints. A person's visual acuity decreases, the surrounding reality is perceived as "in a fog", it becomes difficult to shift the gaze from one object located at a close distance to another located far away (the so-called slow refocusing). Sometimes the patient sees double, often experiences overfatigue and overstrain, "goosebumps" and darkening, an acute reaction to light, decreased visual activity and performance. Myopia often develops in school-age children. They begin to see distant objects poorly, have difficulty distinguishing numbers and letters written on the blackboard in class, try to sit closer to the TV screen or in the front seats in the cinema. To see something far away, nearsighted people, as a rule, squint. Very often, true myopia begins with accommodation spasm (AS), which is the first stage of the axial form of the disease. If the symptoms are identified in time, it can be cured. SA may disappear after undergoing hardware optical-physiological and drug treatment, if the load on the optic nerve is reduced, or as the child grows up. Myopia in the phase of accommodation spasm is characterized by the fact that the eye still retains a spherical shape, and over time its anterior-posterior size (i.e. the axis) increases and it becomes elliptical. At the beginning, SA is not very pronounced, it is, as doctors say, short-lived - it appears and then disappears. The child and his parents may not even notice its presence. The occasional blurring of letters or numbers written on the board quickly disappears. Vision improves during breaks or on the way home from school, so the child does not attach any importance to this, and therefore does not say anything to adults. As a result, myopia is often detected at a later stage, when the duration of accommodation spasm increases from several hours to one or two days. A change in the situation for the better is possible after a long break, a night's sleep, during holidays, that is, at times when the eyes are resting. Later, the periodic loss of vision becomes much more persistent and prolonged, vision is restored partially or completely after undergoing special treatment.
The main factors of myopia appearance
There are many causes of myopia. We will note the main ones:
- a weak sclera that does not adequately resist the rapid growth of the eye;
- incorrect landing during work (the person sits too close to the subject, for example, the child sits close to a computer or television), insufficient lighting, lack of rest;
- undeveloped accommodative muscle, which is responsible for the "adjustment" of the lens at different distances, resulting in an overvoltage;
- short-sightedness can also develop due to hereditary predisposition;
As you can see, there are many factors influencing developmentmyopia, there are many. However, which is the main one? Why sometimes with the same heavy load on the optic nerve some children develop the disease, while others do not? It is simply that a weak immune system, unlike a strong one, is not able to fight and "take a hit". Therefore, as a rule, myopia appears in sickly and weak people. Let's consider several reasons for this condition of the human body:
- damage to the cervical and spinal cord during labor;
- chronic diseases of the oral cavity and nasopharynx (for example, adenoids, sinusitis);
- rickets;
- the propensity to allergies and such infectious diseases as measles or scarlet fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria and the like;
- weak immune system;
- disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
All of the above factors when too strongthe load on the optical system in most cases can cause accommodative spasm, thus, subsequently, if symptoms are not detected in time and treatment is not received, myopia appears and progresses. If there is a predisposition in the family, then naturally, the process of myopization begins much earlier and proceeds quite rapidly.
What are the categories of myopia?
Ophthalmologists distinguish the following degrees of myopia:
- weak - up to 3.0 diopters;
- averages are considered changes in the area of 3.25-6.0 diopters;
- high - over 6.0. It can reach significant values (for example: 15, 20 and even 30).
A person who has been diagnosed with myopia,needs glasses for long distances, and sometimes even for near ones. However, unfortunately, they are not always able to correct vision sufficiently, which is due to the changes occurring in the eye membranes. The disease can be congenital or appear as a result of the negative influence of some factors mentioned above. Over the course of life, it either remains at one level or progresses. Myopia must be treated, and for this there are special modeling methods, the main task of which is to weaken the refractive power of the eye apparatus so that the image falls on a certain area of the retina.
What to do?
If you suspect that you are nearsighted(symptoms appeared, doubts arose, etc.), be sure to consult a doctor. They will check your visual acuity, prescribe suitable glasses, and draw up a course of treatment (its duration is on average two weeks). There are such methods for combating the disease as electrical stimulation of the eye, bioresonance therapy, optical-physiological massage, visotraining, etc. You should understand that myopia is not just a disorder of the optical apparatus. These are “malfunctions” in the entire body. Thus, due to problems with mineral-protein metabolism, the sclera weakens, and the eye stretches in length, thereby acquiring the shape of a pear. In this case, its posterior section suffers the most. In severe cases of the disease, even detachment from the underlying tissues and retinal tears are possible. As a result, there is a real risk of losing vision altogether. You should also know that myopia is a contraindication to some professions that require the worker to see well. The disease limits everyday life: people suffering from it are prohibited from heavy loads, lifting heavy weights, etc. Women with such a problem cannot give birth naturally; doctors offer a cesarean section as an alternative. Therefore, start taking care of your body from a young age. Do not read in poor lighting, eat right, avoid excessive loads and injuries, and then you will be healthy! We recommend reading:
