Myopia, also known as nearsightedness or shortsightedness, causes distant objects to appear blurry or out of focus. Myopia occurs when the eye grows too long (axial length), or the cornea and/or eye lens are too curved relative to the length of the eyeball.

Myopia affects clarity of vision for any distant image— the board in a classroom, the television, a clock on the wall, etc. Myopia is often hereditary, and typically begins in childhood, after the age of four, when the eyes begin to grow rapidly. This condition tends to worsen as the child approaches the teenage years, and typically plateaus by the age of 20. Eyes that become more highly nearsighted, called high myopia, have the risk of eye health issues increase such as retinal detachments.

Nearsightedness affects 40% of Canadians, also known as Myopia. It is one of the most common vision conditions in which an individual can see close objects clearly but objects farther away become blurred. Do you find it difficult to read road signs at a distance, but you can read nearby things? You may be nearsighted. This can usually be corrected by lenses or glasses. If your eyes feel stressed while looking at objects farther away, then you may be experiencing myopia - also known as nearsightedness. Other signs of myopia are eye strain, headaches and feeling fatigued when reading and working with computer screens.