Myopia and the retinal detachment.

 

Myopia or near sightedness is commonly seen in all age groups today. Myopia occurs when eye lens muscles are unable to focus on a far off object. Usually glasses or contact lenses are used to treat myopia. Intensity of myopia is known to increase with age. Myopia can also be cured trough laser surgery, but it is a risky procedure. Myopia is also known to cause retinal detachment in rare cases.

Human eyes were once required to focus on far off objects, but the present day requires people to focus on nearer objects such as books, computers, etc. A theory has been developed saying that human body has developed myopia in order to relieve eye muscles from the tension caused due to constant focus on closer objects. Myopia causes blurred vision when a person tries to focus on a far off object.  This condition can help eye muscles relax while focusing on the near object and reduce the tension caused among them. Myopia is known to increase with age. As this condition increases it may lead a rare condition called retinal detachment.

Retinal detachment occurs when the retina of an eye separates itself from the tissue that lies underneath the retina. It occurs when eyeball liquids pass behind the retina through a hole or a tear in the retina and detach it. A surgery or some damage to the eye might cause these holes and tears in the retina and Myopia can in rare cases causes the same.

 Different symptoms to identify retinal detachment include: light flashes, blur vision, blind spot in the field of vision etc. This occurs in myopic patients as their eyeballs are larger than the regular size, causing retina to stretch and due to this the chances of a tear or a hole appearing in the retina increases. Retinal detachment is often treated through surgery, after the surgery one may experience swelling in the eye, blurred vision, discomfort, and watery eyes and in extreme cases bleeding. When a person experiences this condition the chances of it reappearing increases.  One should consult a doctor if one experiences symptoms of retinal detachment. When this condition goes untreated it may also cause permanent blindness of the effected eye.  Myopic patients should get regular eye check up done as this condition may increase the risk of retinal detachment.