So why did the screen move backwards with myopic patients?
This is due to the whole eye growing longer in depth, which occurs in myopic patients. This front-to-back elongation moves the retina (the screen) beyond the point where the cornea (the projector) expects to concentrate its light to a focus.
SO WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?
When the outer shell of the eye (the sclera) elongates, it forces all the internal components that line the inside of the eye (the retina) to also stretch. There are two problems with an enlarged eye and a stretched retina:
Problem #1 – A nuisance
Your child has to wear stronger glasses/contacts every time their prescription increases. They become dependent on glasses/contacts from the moment their eyes open in the morning to when their eyes close for bedtime.
Problem #2 – A health concern
The stretched retina is thinned and weakened, which leads to a higher risk of blinding eye diseases, such as myopic maculopathy, retinal detachment, glaucoma, and cataracts.
What do those eye diseases look like and what are the increased risks?
References for “What Do Those Eye Diseases Look Like & What Are The Increased Risks”
- 3- Vongphanit, Jerry et al. Prevalence and progression of myopic retinopathy in an older population. Ophthalmology , Volume 109 , Issue 4 , 704 – 711
- 4- The Eye Disease Case–Control Study Group. (1993) Risk factors for idiopathic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Am. J. Epidemiol. 137, 749–757.
- 5- Li X. Incidence and epidemiological characteristics of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in Beijing, China. Ophthalmol 2003;110:2413-7
- 6- Mitchell P. Hourihan F. Sandbach J, Wang JJ. The relationship between glaucoma and myopia: the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Ophthalmol 1999:106:2010-5.
- 7- Lim R, Mitchell P, Cumming RG. Refractive Associations with Cataract: the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1999:40:3021-6.
Allow us to take part in your vision care and you’ll love what you see.