Are distant objects a big blur? You’re not alone: Nearly half of all Americans are living with myopia (nearsightedness) today.
If you’re tired of struggling to see, you have options to correct or even restore your eyesight. At Johnson Laser Eye, our renowned eye surgeon, Dr. Johnson, is an elite laser surgery specialist who helps our patients achieve clearer vision and a better quality of life.
Read on to hear how we help patients overcome myopia using the latest technology. Myopia can continue to progress into early adulthood, making early intervention and ongoing management important.
Understanding Myopia and Its Impact
Developing myopia occurs when the eyeball is overly long or the cornea is too curved. Myopia develops as a result of this abnormal eye shape, which prevents light from focusing properly on the retina. Myopia typically develops in childhood and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, such as time spent outdoors and near work activities.
This shape causes light to focus incorrectly on the retina (the light-sensing tissues in the back part of the eyes). Misfocused light leads to blurred distance vision, though close objects are still clearly visible.
Even mild or moderate myopia is a refractive error that can seriously affect your daily life. Blurry vision is a primary symptom, making it difficult to drive, watch movies, recognize people in a crowd, or complete any visual tasks that aren’t right in front of you. It can also cause eye strain that leads to headaches and other concerns. Ultimately, myopia can be frustrating. Once myopia develops, it typically deteriorates every few months until the late teens or early 20s. But there’s also good news: You can overcome it.
The Importance of Eye Exams
Regular eye exams are a cornerstone of maintaining healthy vision and catching potential problems, like myopia, before they become more serious.
During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor can assess your risk factors for myopia progression and recommend personalized strategies to slow myopia progression. For children, especially those with a family history of myopia, regular check-ups are essential. Childhood myopia can progress rapidly, so early intervention is key to managing myopia and protecting your child’s vision. Eye exams help monitor the progression of myopia and ensure that corrective measures, like glasses or contact lenses, including soft contact lenses and multifocal contact lenses, are introduced at the right time to slow progression and maintain clear vision.
Eye exams are also crucial for identifying other vision issues that can be associated with high myopia, such as retinal detachment or macular degeneration. By catching these conditions early, your eye doctor can recommend treatment options.
In addition to regular eye exams, adopting healthy habits can make a significant difference in managing myopia development. Limiting screen time, encouraging more time outdoors in natural light, and maintaining a balanced diet all support overall eye health and can help prevent myopia from worsening.
Overcoming Myopia: Temporary Myopia Control Solutions
Glasses or contact lenses can change the way that light hits your retinas and allow you to see clearly. But they’re not a permanent solution. As soon as you remove them, you’re right back where you started: In a world of blurriness.
So, while glasses and contacts are a good way to cope with myopia, many people find that they just aren’t very convenient or comfortable. Fortunately, there’s another option.
LASIK Laser Eye Surgery: A Permanent Solution for Myopia
LASIK surgery is a laser procedure to reshape your corneas. This laser eye surgery is a form of vision correction that reshapes the cornea but does not cure myopia, as it does not shorten the length of the eyeball. That allows light to focus on the retina properly, so it’s a long-term myopia solution.
Dr. Johnson uses Contoura® Vision, an advanced LASIK system that combines the latest evidence-based innovations, to provide the best results and easiest recovery. He’s the first surgeon in Southeastern North Carolina to use this groundbreaking system.
Before your LASIK surgery, advanced imaging scans gather more than 20,000 unique data points on your corneas. Dr. Johnson uses this information to create a perfect blueprint for surgery.
During surgery, Dr. Johnson uses lasers to precisely correct your eye shape in only about 30 minutes. The laser creates a precise flap that is later folded back into place, where it serves as a bandage, so there are no incisions or stitches.
Most patients enjoy significant vision improvement almost right away, even when they have high myopia. At least 98% of patients have a high satisfaction rating with Contoura, according to the manufacturer. Many patients even achieve better than 20/20 vision.
From Myopia to Clear Vision and Better Eye Health in Wilmington
Imagine waking up each day with clear, healthy vision, free from the misery of myopia. We can help. Call us at (910) 821-3913 or contact us online to book your LASIK consultation now.
