What is Myopia (Nearsightedness)?
Does your child squint to read what is on the school board? Do you find yourself having to get very close to a sign before you can make out the words? That could be myopia. Myopia, or short-sightedness, is when you can see things close to you clearly but things far away look blurry.
Understanding Myopia
In a myopic eye, one of two things has happened. Either the eyeball is slightly too long from front to back, or the front surface of the eye (the cornea) is a little too curved. Either way, the light ends up focusing just in front of the retina instead of on it. Things close to you are still clear, but anything far away is blurry.
Myopia is one of the most common eye conditions in the world, and it is getting more common in India very quickly, especially in cities. Most children who develop myopia first notice it between the ages of 6 and 12. It tends to get worse each year through the teenage years and usually levels off by the early twenties.
The encouraging part is that myopia treatment options have improved a great deal. For children, there are now several ways to slow down how quickly the number gets higher, not just correct the blur. For adults, laser myopia surgery can reduce or remove the need for glasses altogether.
Section tag: What to look for
Symptoms of Myopia
Icon | Sign | What it looks like |
🌫️ | Blurry distant vision | Things beyond a metre or two look unclear or fuzzy |
😤 | Squinting | Narrowing the eyes when trying to see something far away |
🤕 | Headaches | Eye strain from straining to focus on things in the distance |
📚 | Sitting too close to the TV or board | Bringing the face very close to get a clear view |
🏫 | Struggling at school | Cannot read what is on the board, falling behind in class |
😴 | Tired, aching eyes | After activities like driving, watching films, or playing sport |
😵 | Night driving trouble | Halos and blur around headlights and road signs after dark |
Types of Myopia
- Simple (Low to Moderate) Myopia: The most common type, usually starting in childhood and stabilising in early adulthood. Power is typically up to -6.00 D and can be corrected with glasses, lenses, or surgery.
- High Myopia: Occurs when power exceeds -6.00 D. The eye becomes longer, increasing the risk of retinal issues, glaucoma, and early cataract. Regular eye check-ups are important.
- Pathological (Degenerative) Myopia: A severe form where the eye continues to grow even in adulthood, leading to retinal thinning and potential vision complications. Requires close monitoring and specialised care.
What Causes Myopia?
Family history: If one or both parents have myopia, the chances increase, so early eye check-ups are important.
Excess near work: Spending long hours reading, studying, or using screens at close range can contribute to myopia.
Less outdoor time: Children who spend less time outdoors in natural light are more likely to develop myopia.
Ethnicity: Myopia is more common in South and East Asian populations, including Indians.
Urban lifestyle: City living often means more screen time, less outdoor play, and higher risk of myopia.
Section tag: Management & care
Treatment for Myopia
Myopia Treatment Options
Different treatments help correct vision and, in some cases, slow the progression of myopia.
- Glasses (Spectacles): The most common starting point for all ages. They correct vision clearly but do not slow myopia progression.
- Contact Lenses: Suitable for older children and adults who prefer not to wear glasses. Daily disposables are a safe and convenient option.
- Low-Dose Atropine Drops: Used in children to slow myopia progression. Applied once daily and used along with glasses.
- Orthokeratology (Ortho-K): Overnight lenses that reshape the eye, allowing clear daytime vision without glasses. Also helps slow progression.
- Myopia-Control Glasses: Special lenses (like DIMS) designed to both correct vision and slow eye growth in children.
- Multifocal Contact Lenses: Daytime lenses with special focus zones that help control myopia in older children and teens.
- Myopia Surgery (LASIK, SMILE, ICL): Options for adults with stable vision to permanently reduce dependence on glasses or lenses.
- Regular Monitoring: Routine eye check-ups (every 6–12 months) are essential to track changes and adjust treatment.
Why India Has a Growing Myopia Problem
India is seeing a significant rise in myopia, particularly in cities. Several things specific to the way many Indian children grow up are playing into this.
- Academic pressure and close work. The pressure to study is significant from a young age in many Indian homes. Long hours of reading, writing, and studying close up is one of the strongest environmental myopia causes. Add smartphones and tablets into this picture from as young as two or three years old, and the eyes are getting a very heavy close-up workload.
- Not enough time outdoors. In many cities, children play outside far less than they used to. Apartment living, safety concerns, heat, and packed school schedules all cut into outdoor time. Research is consistent that natural outdoor light helps regulate how the eye grows. The less time spent outside, the less of that protective effect the eyes get.
- Late diagnosis. Many Indian families do not take children for eye check-ups unless they are visibly struggling. By the time a child’s myopia is found, it may have been there and progressing quietly for a year or two. Early identification and early myopia treatment make a real difference to the final outcome.
How Much Outdoor Time Helps With Myopia?
Research suggests that around two hours of outdoor time a day provides a meaningful protective effect against myopia. This does not mean structured exercise or special activities. Simply being outside in natural daylight, whether that is walking, playing in a garden, or sitting on a balcony, appears to be what counts.
In Indian cities where outdoor time is limited, even an extra 30 to 60 minutes outside each day may be helpful, particularly for children who already have myopia or a strong family history. Schools that build outdoor breaks into the school day are, in a real sense, supporting their students’ eye health.
Myopia Control in India: What Is Available
Myopia control is the part of myopia treatment that focuses specifically on slowing down how fast the number increases in children. It is a newer area of care but is now very much part of standard practice in good eye hospitals across India.
The options available in India include:
- Low-dose atropine drops (0.01% to 0.05%) placed in the eye once nightly. The most commonly used myopia control approach in Asia.
- Orthokeratology (overnight rigid lenses). Available at specialised cornea and contact lens clinics.
- Myopia-control spectacle lenses (MiyoSmart, DIMS). Available through ophthalmology and specialised optometry practices.
- Combination therapy. For children whose myopia is progressing quickly, using atropine drops alongside myopia-control lenses or ortho-K gives a stronger effect than either approach on its own.
At Vasan Eye Care, our team is trained in myopia control and will assess which approach suits your child’s age, spectacle number, lifestyle, and rate of progression.
Myopia Surgery for Adults: Understanding Your Options
For adults whose myopia has been stable and who want to reduce their dependence on glasses, there are a few myopia surgery options.
LASIK. A laser reshapes the cornea under a thin flap. The most performed myopia surgery in India, with a quick recovery.
SMILE. A newer laser approach, no flap involved. Works through a small opening, which many surgeons prefer for patients who are prone to dry eyes or who play contact sports.
PRK / TransPRK. Surface-based laser. Suitable for people with thinner corneas who may not qualify for LASIK or SMILE.
ICL. A small lens is placed inside the eye, in front of your natural lens. A good option for very high myopia where laser myopia surgery cannot fully correct the number.
All of these require a full pre-operative assessment, including a check of corneal thickness, a dry eye assessment, a retinal examination, and confirmation that the spectacle number has been stable. At Vasan Eye Care, this assessment is standard before any myopia surgery recommendation is made.
Myopia Care at Vasan Eye Care
Myopia is one of the most common conditions we see across all our clinics, from young children having their first eye check to adults looking at their myopia surgery options.
For children, our approach includes:
- A dilated refraction to get an accurate spectacle number
- Axial length measurement to track how the eye is growing
- A discussion about myopia control options that suit your child’s age and lifestyle
- A review every six months to check progress and adjust the myopia treatment if needed
For adults, our approach includes:
- A full refraction and retinal examination, particularly for anyone with a high number
- A pre-operative assessment for myopia surgery in suitable candidates
- An honest discussion of what each myopia surgery option involves and whether you are a good fit for it
With 150+ centres across India and 500+ eye care specialists as part of ASG Enterprises, myopia treatment at Vasan Eye Care is accessible wherever you are.
Simple Guide to Myopia Terms
| Word or phrase | What it means in simple terms |
| Myopia | Short-sightedness: clear close vision, blurry distant vision |
| Nearsightedness | Another name for myopia |
| Diopter (D) | The unit for spectacle power; a higher minus number means more myopia |
| High myopia | Myopia of minus 6.00 D or more; needs regular retinal checks |
| Axial length | The front-to-back length of the eyeball; longer means more myopia |
| Myopia control | Myopia treatment that slows how fast the number increases in children |
| Atropine drops | Low-dose eye drops used at night to slow myopia progression |
| Orthokeratology | Overnight lenses that correct vision during the day and slow myopia |
| LASIK | Laser myopia surgery that reshapes the cornea |
| SMILE | A newer laser myopia surgery without a corneal flap |
| ICL | A lens placed inside the eye for very high myopia correction |
| Cycloplegic refraction | An eye test done with dilating drops for an accurate spectacle measurement in children |
RELATED EYE CONDITIONS
- High Myopia and Myopic Macular Degeneration
- Astigmatism
- Retinal Detachment (in high myopia)
- Lazy Eye (Amblyopia)
- Longsightedness (Hyperopia)
REFERENCES
- Cleveland Clinic. Myopia (Nearsightedness): Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. Last reviewed October 2023. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8579-myopia-nearsightedness https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8579-myopia-nearsightedness
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Childhood Myopia Treatments: 5 Options to Slow Nearsightedness in Kids. Published November 2025. aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/misight-orthok-atropine-myopia-nearsighted-child https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/misight-orthok-atropine-myopia-nearsighted-child
- American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Myopia and Treatment of Myopia in Children. aapos.org/glossary/myopia-and-treatment-of-myopia-in-children https://aapos.org/glossary/myopia-and-treatment-of-myopia-in-children
- L V Prasad Eye Institute. Myopia. lvpei.org/sub-speciality/myopia https://www.lvpei.org/sub-speciality/myopia
- Pineles SL, et al. Atropine for the Prevention of Myopia Progression in Children. StatPearls, National Library of Medicine. Updated 2023. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK607613 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK607613/
For appointments, call 1800 571 2222 or visit your nearest Vasan Eye Care centre.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It depends on age and condition. Children often need glasses plus myopia control methods, while adults can use glasses, lenses, or consider surgery for long-term correction.
Myopia cannot be fully reversed. Glasses and lenses correct vision, while surgery reduces dependence, and treatments in children help slow progression.
No food can cure myopia, but a healthy diet with leafy greens, carrots, and omega-3 supports overall eye health and vision.
No, it cannot be reversed naturally. Glasses, contact lenses, or surgery are effective ways to correct astigmatism.
No, this is a myth. Wearing the correct prescription helps clear vision and may prevent faster progression in children.
Treatment should begin as soon as myopia is diagnosed, especially in children, to prevent rapid progression.
Yes, procedures like LASIK and SMILE are generally safe when done after proper evaluation and on suitable candidates.
Mild myopia does not cause blindness, but high myopia can increase the risk of serious eye conditions if not monitored regularly.
