How to treat high myopia?

Written by Zhou Qing
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 14, 2024
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High myopia refers to a degree of nearsightedness above 1000 degrees. High myopia brings great troubles to people, even affecting their diet and preventing them from participating in high-intensity physical exercise. It may also lead to complications such as retinal detachment, cataracts, macular hemorrhage, macular degeneration, vitreous liquefaction degeneration, and glaucoma. The treatment of high myopia has always been a major challenge in ophthalmology. With the advent of refractive lens exchange surgery, after extensive clinical practice, it has now become a better option for correcting vision in patients with extremely high myopia. The refractive state of the eyeball is mainly determined by the refractive power of the eyeball and the length of the eye axis. In cases of nearsightedness, the lengthening of the eye axis causes the light to focus in front of the retina, making it difficult for patients to see distant objects clearly. During refractive lens exchange surgery, a concave lens specifically tailored to the patient is implanted into the eyeball to change the focal point of the light so that it accurately focuses on the retina, achieving the purpose of correcting nearsightedness. Refractive lens exchange surgery maintains the integrity and accommodative function of the eye's physiological structure, has a larger optical zone, eliminates aberrations, and has a wider range of adaptability compared to corneal refractive surgery. Post-surgery, patients experience less discomfort, faster vision recovery, stable refraction, and no regression phenomenon.

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Written by Zhou Qing
Ophthalmology
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How is the surgery for nearsightedness?

The choice and design of myopia surgery methods need to be comprehensively considered based on factors such as the patient's preoperative examination results and postoperative vision requirements. Generally, patients can choose laser myopia surgery. If high visual acuity is needed due to study or work, or if there is high physical activity after surgery, it is recommended to choose a safer surgical option. This is because minimally invasive technology causes less trauma to the corneal nerves, which can more effectively improve postoperative night vision, greatly enhance visual quality, and better stabilize postoperative vision.

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Written by Lian Wen Xi
Pediatrics
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Can children's myopia be corrected?

Myopia in children can be corrected, but this correction simply brings the child's vision to a normal level and does not mean that true myopia can be reversed. Myopia can be divided into true myopia and false myopia. False myopia can be restored to normal vision through appropriate rest and a series of relieving recoveries. However, if diagnosed with true myopia, there is currently no method available to reduce the degree of myopia and restore the child's normal vision. Moreover, once true myopia occurs, it will not stop and typically increases every year until the child reaches adulthood, when it gradually stops. Therefore, before the child reaches adulthood, it is worth considering using methods such as wearing glasses and developing good eye habits to control the increase in the child's degree of myopia and to achieve the purpose of correcting the child's vision.

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Written by Deng Jiang Tao
Ophthalmology
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Where is the incision made for nearsightedness surgery?

Firstly, myopia surgery essentially involves thinning the cornea by cutting it, which is like transferring the degree of myopia onto the cornea itself. Let's first talk about the layering of the cornea. From front to back, the cornea is divided into five layers, generally consisting of the epithelial layer, anterior elastic layer, stromal layer, posterior elastic layer, and the corneal endothelial layer. Among these layers, the stromal layer is the thickest, about 500 microns, accounting for over 90% of the total corneal thickness. Therefore, during myopia surgery, the main area of cutting is in the stromal layer of the cornea.

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Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
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What is the uncorrected visual acuity of high myopia?

Myopia can be classified as mild myopia from 200-400 degrees, moderate myopia from 400-600 degrees, and high myopia as above 600 degrees. What is the uncorrected visual acuity for high myopia? There is no clear pattern for this because a visual acuity of 0.1 may be corrected to 1.0 with just 50 degrees, or it might not reach 0.5 even with 1000 degrees. Therefore, uncorrected visual acuity is not a standard measure for high myopia. The level of uncorrected visual acuity depends on the condition of the eye's axial length and diopter. If the change in the axial length is not significant, a minor uncorrected visual acuity is not crucial, and the required correction might be very low. Conversely, the longer the axial length, the higher the correction needed might be.

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Written by Lian Wen Xi
Pediatrics
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Is a child's vision of 4.7 considered nearsighted?

Children's vision at 4.7 does require a comprehensive analysis to determine if they are nearsighted. Generally, a child with a vision of 4.7 is likely to be nearsighted, but this single parameter should not be used to diagnose myopia. It's necessary to differentiate whether the child has true myopia or false myopia. Additionally, the issue could be amblyopia, astigmatism, or farsightedness. Moreover, the child's age also plays a significant role in assessing vision. For instance, a vision of 4.7 might indicate nearsightedness in a child aged seven or eight, but for a child around three years old, a vision of 4.7 is considered normal. Parents are advised to take their child to the hospital for a dilated refraction test to ascertain the specific condition.