Nearsightedness, or myopia, is a refractive error of the eye that causes distant objects to appear out of focus.  Nearsightedness occurs when length of the eye is too long and incoming light comes to a focus before it reaches the retina at the back of the eye. Because the eye isn’t focusing light directly on the retina, the images you see may be blurry.

Nearsightedness affects men and women equally. People who have a family history of nearsightedness are more likely to develop it. While most eyes with nearsightedness are healthy, a small number of people with severe myopia may develop a form of retinal degeneration.

The occurrence of myopia in the United States is estimated to be about 20%.  Almost 10% of American children between the ages of 5 and 17 have myopia.  Approximately 25% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 54 have the condition.

Nearsightedness can be corrected with a contact lens that moves the point of focus further back in the eye than it would without correction, causing it to fall directly on the retina.