Nearsighted/Myopia: What causes it?
I'm 13 and recently went to my eye doctor and she diagnosed me as nearsighted by -5. I figure that's kind of normal, because my parents are both -5. However, my parents said they got -5 in university, so it should be too early for me to be that nearsighted. My optometrist said the cause of Myopia is genetics and environment. Computers and electronics can cause around -1. But, I've heard different answers from different doctors. Some say that nearsighted is caused by computer or excessive reading. When focusing on something your eye adjusts to it and changes the shape. But my current doctor, as well as some websites, believes it's genetics. Mom said it shouldn't be genetics because both her parents aren't nearsighted, but she got nearsighted. And I do read a lot as well as stare at the computer monitor quite a few hours a day. So, is being nearsighted caused by reading and computers really a myth? Because in China, many people are severely nearsighted; they study really hard, too much reading.
Does training your ciliary muscle improves your eyesight?
Myopia is not caused by weak ciliary (focusing) muscles. If anything it's caused by doing too much stressful near-focusing which your eyes try to lessen by growing longer. (see http://www.myopia.org/ebook/ ) If you want your eyes to get better you should do as little near-focussing as possible so I doubt that thing would help at all. What may help is getting a pair of glasses that are two diopters less than your full prescription and use these when you are on the computer. Two diopters of myopia would put your focal maximum (the furthest distance at which you can see things clearly) at about half a metre away. To reduce ciliary muscle stress you need your eyes to be focusing at the furthest extent of their focal range as much as possible. It is also thought that lack of sunlight plays a part in myopia progression too so the last thing you want to do is block the natural light from your eyes with this contraption.
Can the Ramdev Patanjali Drishti eye drops cure or alleviate myopia? Is it safe for normal use?
This is a review of Patanjali Drishti Eye Drops. It is an ayurvedic proprietary medicine. A couple of weeks ago, I visited the local Patanjali Chikitsalaya/Aushdhalaya to restock my Henna. As most of your know, Patanjali is Yog Guru Baba Ramdev's brand. I got interested in a variety of products available there and ended up buying quite a few.drishti= visionaushdhalaya= clinicI had seen my mom and brother using these eye drops but never thought of trying them. Then off late, I was feeling a sticky layer of discharge in my eyes, which was blurring my vision. Usually this happens in the rainy season may be due to some infection. Also, I had constant headache due to spending long hours in front of the computer. So I thought of trying these ayurvedic eye drops.Quantity: 15 mlPrice: INR 25 onlyShelf Life: 12 MonthsTo be used within one month after openingComposition:I remember some 8 years ago or so, this very composition was shared on TV program and one of our family friends couple used to make this medicine at home and distribute it to everyone around for free. At that time I was against using it and never tried.Patanjali Drishti eye drops were properly packed inside a sealed foiled packaging. The outer cardboard box says: Useful in various eye problems, cataract and general eye disorders.MY EXPERIENCE WITH PATANJALI DRISHTI EYE DROPS:I could feel an immense difference within the very first use. It gave me instant relief from the pain I was feeling in my eyes and the headache. Usually when you do not wear your specs, you feel some discomfort when looking at distant objects. After using these eye drops, I no longer feel any such discomfort. It has clarified my vision.These eyedrops burn a lot and I use only 1 drop in each eye. The burning feels much only during the first two uses and after that you get used to it and it hardly feels. You can faintly smell onion but the scent is not even noticeable.People who work long hours in front of computer or laptop everyday may give it a try and can use these to rejuvenate your eyes while travelling back home from the office. Please do NOT use these eye drops while wearing contact lenses as it may contaminate our lenses. But you can use after removing the lenses at night.If you feel any discomfort or reaction in the first few uses, please stop using immediately. People who are using other medicated eye drops or are undergoing treatment for some medical conditions of the eye, please consult with your doctor.
Can an astigmatism be misdiagnosed as myopia?
well rockinout, what I do find interesting about astigmatism (yes Im aware of what it physically is) is that noone can give me a difinative answer about what causes it. Obviously, Im going into this with a theory that too many people were misdiagnosed. I am 36, from a time when opthamology was somewhat primitive. PS: The way I experience astig is that my left eye will shade over when i flip a light out to my left. Also, I think its a horizontal haze.
How can I see clearly without glasses?
I am an ophthalmic technician and there really is not anything you can do to correct vision. Aides are aides for a reason. At the age of 13, your eye muscles are trained to act a certain way. Eye exercises and therapy really aren't anything that can help, because the therapy and exercises correct the way an eye positions itself (ie, if it pulls to the right or left) but not the vision. Pinhole works, but it's not practical because it eliminates your pheriphal (side vision) vision and considering that you are 13 and while you do have poor vision, there are many many cases that have worse vision than you at a younger age and there is not much you can do until you get old enough for contacts or laser correction. Your eyes can't "get worse from sitting in front of a TV" or "reading in the dark" so they can't get better by "training." And by the way, you are not myopic if you have a + in front of your correction power. You are hyperopic, or farsighted. Myopic refers to nearsighted, or with a - in front of the correction power. Your eyes are part of the human body, so they react just like everything else, they act on their own, you just have to have the glasses/ surgery to correct the biological process.
Is it possible myopia/astigmatism reduced after 17?
hi. Firstly please be aware the previous answerer has a job related to the selling of glasses. His salary does depend on glasses being sellable to customers. Anyway there are blind people with major problems including myopia who with the help of eye exercises (and other methods) restored their vision. Ive looked into this stuff for the past year and have come across countless examples. Just look up natural eyesight/vision restoration/improvement in google and youtube. In my opinion the things that made the biggest difference was doing posture correction and loosening up the neck and the arms. Ill give the links to videos which i think explain this best. 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzzQcvddh... (learning correct posture) 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EX2l5pJ2... (a technical explaination of how bones and muscles change with bad posture) 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96hNrcUfw... (Arm stretching exercises etc) I can tell you the 3rd video will make you relaxed with its stretches etc but do not underestimate the effect these stretches have on your eyesight. Check before and after if theres any change. The 2nd video is very technical so dont expect to understand all the terms mentioned but you can pay attention to demonstrations of different movements. These are good to watch and can be easily imitated. The first is video is actually the first part of the full lesson. Just pick up what is correct posture. If you didn't previously know this stuff then watching the video will of great help. I think there are other methods that work such as using reading glasses to cure myopia but i think without correct posture, breathing and relaxation the effect of reading glasses wont make such a difference. Hope my answer was helpful
How can I treat nearsightedness?
In the instance of true nearsightedness, there’s little that can be done to treat it. The issue is what causes nearsightedness. Most training programmes that are outlined derive from the Bates Method, which incorrectly identifies that strain/stress of the eye and extra ocular muscles is the cause of myopia development.While there are some conditions that can mimic myopia (pseudomyopia) that come about due to overreaction of the ciliary muscle (an internal muscle of the eye), this is not true myopia - though if untreated may induce true myopia.How can myopia be managed?True myopia: Spectacles, contact lenses, orthoK contact lenses (you wear these overnight and are lens free during the day - it has often been likened to a reversible form of refractive correction), refractive surgery (LASIK,LASEK,PRK,etc). While there are no mechanisms for reversing myopia - there have been several different interventions that have been found to reduce the progress of myopia (and in rare instances halt progression), which consist of varifocal lens use, contact lens multifocal use, orthoK use, atropine, increased time spent outdoors (more information here - same link as nearsightedness above)Pseudomyopia: Orthoptic vision therapy. Often this will begin with use of (convex) reading lenses, combined with the use of exercises to normalise the ocular accommodative response, eventually removing the need for the reading lenses. In office treatment with an optometrist or orthoptist typically will lead to resolution in 10–12 hours of treatment. Home based alone may take 3–6 months dependant upon compliance.While this may excite the reader - pseudomyopia is quite rare, and for every pseudomyope that presents in eye can practice, there are around 10–15 true myopes who require conventional management. If you are in doubt about whether you have true or pseudomyopia, make an appointment with your eye care practitioner (OD/MD) who will be able to confirm.Hope this helps
Does reading in the car damage your eyes?
Dr. Swiatek and others gave you what I think is the correct answer. Trying to focus on image that is moving irregularly (e.g. Reading in a moving car) creates eye strain. As an analogy, Try drawing a series of straight lines on a hand held pad while in a moving car - … Wait, My god, you are not talking about whether you could damage your eyes by reading in a moving car that you are driving, are you? Because then yes, you could damage your eyes… And cranium, arms legs, face etc. -… Ok, just kidding, I knew you weren't going to read and drive at the same time, like on your cell phone- no one would be idiotic enough to Do that.Ok, back to drawing straight lines in a moving car- very difficult right? Every bump and swerve causes you to have to adjust and erase and correct. Each time you try to do it perfectly you have to concentrate and strain a little more. Same is true of reading in a car. Eyes and eye focusing muscles get strained and tired. Did you injure your drawing hand by trying to dray in the car? No. You didn't injure your eyes either.Finally, wearing glasses does NOT CAUSE MYOPIA OR PROGESSIVE NEAR-sightedness. There is absolutely NO scientific evidence to support this. Please look it up on the official optometry (AOA) or Ophthalmology (AAO) sites. This idea that wearing glasses causes myopia and that someone out there can “CURE” your myopia if you just send them some money for their at home training video, is just bullshark. If you believe that , I've got 1 million dollars in a bank in Uganda that was just left there by some anonymous person and it has your name on it, and if you just send me a few hundred bucks (US) I can get it out of the bank and send it to you. I'll even pay the postage.One last thought. Some people can get “car sick” while riding in a car- believed to be a corollary of migraines, and I think that reading in a car could possibly induce that.