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High Myopia

Myopia is the most common vision problem. Myopia occurs when the eye is too long from front to back and images focus in front of the retina. To force images to focus further back, on the retina, diverging lenses (thicker on the edges and thinner in the center) are prescribed. The greater your myopia the stronger (thicker) the lenses that must be used.

Classification of Myopia

The strength of the lenses is measured in diopters. Myopia that is corrected by lenses from -1 to -3 diopters is considered mild in degree. High myopia requires lenses greater than -6 (some say greater than -8) diopters in strength. About 6% of high school students have a high degree of myopia. And, extremely high myopia is characterized by the need for lenses greater the -12 diopters.

The higher the degree of myopia you have, the greater your risk of degernative effects such as retinal detachment, macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataract. High myopia is the seventh leading cause of blindness in the United States. High myopia is also related to a two- to three-fold higher incidence of glaucoma.

High myopia's degernative effects take place at a younger age than other causes of blindness such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

High Myopia Symptoms to Watch Out For

If you suffer from high myopia, you should be watchful for visual abnormalities that could be symptoms of degenerating eyesight. These symptoms include a sudden increase in the number of floaters, flashes of light (photopsia), showers of spots, gray patches appearing from the side, or loss of vision in any area.

If you observe any of these symptoms you should see a retina specialist immediately for a thorough examination.

What Happens in High Myopia

Highly myopic eyes are abnormally elongated from front to back. This places excessive stress on the sclera, choroid, retinal pigment epithelium, and retina. The elongation initially causes the peripheral retina to stretch and patches of it become thin (lattice degeneration).

The higher your myopia, the greater your risk of retinal detachment. If the retina tears, fluid can pass from the front of the retina through the tear to the subretinal space between the sensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium.

Retinal detachment can be caused by a number of factors including trauma, surgery. But, what's important to you is that forty percent of retinal detachments occur is those with high myopia.

If retinal detachments is caught early, doctors can normally arrest the detachment with laser treatments or cryotherapy (freezing). These treatments produce scar tissue that helps the retina adhere to the supporting tissue and prevents fluid from seeping behind the retina.

What Causes High Myopia and Eye Elongation?

Most mainstream researchers believe myopia is caused by some combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Dr. William Bates (1860-1931), an ophthalmology instructor at the New York Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital and researcher discovered that the external eye muscles could change the shape of the eye. He believed that chronic tension in certain muscles could produce myopia. He further believed that by relaxing these muscles the eye could be returned to a normal spherical shape and eyesight could be restored to normal.

Natural Vision Therapy with High Myopia

Natural vision teachers have been using Bates' basic theory for years with great success in improving eyesight.

I, myself, began taking a renewed interest in natural vision therapy when I began to see flashes of light. I went to a retinal specialist who advised that I await further developments before any treatment began.

I began in earnest learning how to permanently relax my external eye muscles. I was able to improve my eyesight to where it had been more than twenty years pervious. I am continuing to improve my eyesight and have been symptom free ever since.

I believe it would be wise for anyone with myopia to investigate natural vision therapy as a way to improve eyesight, reduce abnormal eye elongation. Do this in conjunction with expert services of eye care professionals.

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