Myopia Singapore: Learn How Myopia can be corrected
Also known as nearsightedness, myopia is a disorder of the eye, which makes you only see objects closer to you clearly. Objects that are far away from you often appear blurry.
Myopia occurs when the shape of your eye makes light rays incorrectly refract or bend. This makes images to be focused in front of the retina instead of being focused on your retina.
If you're seeking treatments for myopia, Singapore offers a boatload of options in terms of qualified ophthalmologists that can help with your condition.Dr. Claudine Pang of Asia Retina, for example, is a reputed, board-certified eye specialist who helps several patients with this condition each year.
Having a board-certified ophthalmologist look into your myopia is your best bet when seeking treatments. Board-certification assures you that the eye specialist has met the stringent qualification requirements to be certified. It also gives you peace of mind knowing that you have the least chances of misdiagnosis or running into complications during your treatment.
What is the Best Treatment for Myopia?
There are multiple techniques your eye specialist can use to help you correct myopia. Most commonly, these techniques will be aimed at making your vision more clear.
Here's a quick summary of the three most common treatments for myopia.
· Contact Lenses Designed for Nearsightedness
You will need eye examinations and vision tests for your eye specialist to correctly determine the right contact lenses to prescribe for your condition. The contact lenses your ophthalmologist will recommend for myopia in Singapore will improve your vision by changing the light's direction into your eye.
The efficacy of contact lenses for nearsightedness is helped by natural tears in the eye, which allows the lenses to float freely on the cornea. When selecting contact lenses, there are different types you can use depending on your treatment goals and, partly, preference.
I. The Rigid gas-permeable contact lenses. These lenses are relatively smaller in size and designed to cover the pupil and extend to the iris. Just like the name suggests, they're made of thin but rigid plastic materials. They float on the tears, and their 'gas-permeability' nature allows oxygen to pass through them to the surface of the eye. As a precautionary measure, it is not advisable that you sleep in these lenses. There are, however, advanced extended-wear designs that you may still sleep in. It is also important to note that an eyelash or speck of dust may lodge between your eye and the lens. This makes it necessary to remove the lens, clean it properly, and then put it back in again.
II. Soft Lenses. These lenses are pretty common. They're made from very soft and pliable plastic material, thus the name, 'soft lenses.' Most people prefer these lenses because of the ease at which they flex and adhere to your eye's surface, meaning that you'll find it easy getting used to them. Unlike the rigid gas-permeable lenses that cover the pupil, extending to the iris, the soft lenses are mostly designed for covering a bigger portion of the eye, extending from the pupil to the iris and the white. Depending on the type of soft contact lens you'll be using, you may need to wear them for a certain period and dispose of them. You may also need to have the lens taken out before you sleep, clean, and store them well overnight.
· Eye Glasses for Myopia
Eyeglasses are another popular corrective measure for patients struggling with myopia in Singapore. They're majorly preferred because of the ease at which they can help you correct myopia—you can wear and remove them with much ease.
Now, eyeglasses are designed to correct the angles at which light hits the retina. Like in the contact lenses, you will need to undergo some eye exams before your eye specialist can recommend the glasses.
For instance, they may use eye charts and focus exercises on testing your vision. The ophthalmologist will also assess your eyes from multiple angles.
· Surgery for Myopia
For most people who'd opt for a long-lasting corrective measure for myopia in Singapore, Having a refractive surgery may be appealing.
Refractive surgery can change your eye, minimizing the impact of myopia on your vision.
There are four surgery techniques that can help with myopia;
I. LASIK Surgery. Also known as Laser-assisted in Keratomileusis, this procedure can help change your cornea's shape to make it easy for light to pass through it and retina correctly.
II. Implantable Contact Lenses. For this operation, your ophthalmologist can place a prescription lens either behind your iris or between your cornea and the iris.
III. PRK. Also known as Photorefractive Keratectomy, this procedure can help correct your eye's shape on the surface to correct myopia.
IV. Cataract Surgery. An ophthalmologist may recommend cataract surgery for myopia if it's caused by cataracts, a condition that discolors your lens, thus clouding your vision. The eye specialist will, therefore, remove the cataract and replace it with a new lens.
Final Word
Do you struggle with short sightedness but yet to receive treatments? You should not assume that the condition will resolve by itself as you age.
It would be better to seek your ophthalmologist’s help sooner to avert other risks that may come with myopia. Get in touch with a board certified ophthalmologist today to book an eye exam.
