Can myopia be cured?

Eye exercises and "improve your eyesight naturally" programs that promise a cure for myopia (nearsightedness) have been around for at least a century. But do they work?

The problem with these "miraculous" programs is that there is no scientific evidence or verifiable outcomes to back them up.

Proponents of these do-it-yourself vision correction programs claim myopia can be reversed with eye exercises, relaxation techniques and massaging the eyes. But the only "proof" of effectiveness they offer for these so-called myopia cures are testimonials provided by customers who purchased their product.

Most eye doctors and vision researchers dismiss these programs as ineffective and a waste of money.

Myopia is not an eye disease. It's a refractive error caused by the eyeball growing too long during childhood. When this occurs, light entering the eye fails to focus on the light-sensitive retina in the back of the eye. Instead, light is focused in front of the retina, which makes distant objects blurry.

Currently, there is no cure for nearsightedness. But there are proven methods that can be prescribed by an eye doctor to slow the progression of myopia during childhood. These myopia control methods include specially designed contact lenses and atropine eye drops.

Prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses can correct the blurry distance vision caused by myopia. Glasses and contacts also can relieve associated signs and symptoms of nearsightedness, including headaches, eye strain and squinting. But corrective lenses only work while a person is wearing them and they are not a cure.

Once myopia has stabilized (usually sometime after age 18 to 20), LASIK and other laser eye surgery procedures are effective long-term treatments for nearsightedness. But even surgery is not always a cure for nearsightedness. In some cases, some degree of myopia can return after surgery.

Another option for the treatment of myopia is orthokeratology. This is the fitting of specially designed gas permeable contact lenses (called ortho-k lenses) for overnight wear. The lenses reshape the front surface of the eye (cornea) while you sleep, temporarily reversing myopia. You remove the lenses when you wake up and you can see clearly throughout the day without glasses or contact lenses.

But ortho-k is not a cure for myopia. The contact lenses must be worn regularly at night or the myopia and blurry vision will soon return.

If you or your child are nearsighted and you want to learn more about myopia control and treatment options, schedule an eye exam today with an eye doctor near you.

Page published on Friday, January 3, 2020