Myopia – commonly called Nearsightedness - is the most common refractive error in the United States, affecting nearly one-fourth of the population. In this condition, images come into focus in front of the retina, resulting in a blurred image on the retina, the "camera film." The more severe the nearsightedness, the farther the image is from the retina, thus resulting in blurrier vision in the distance.

There are three ways for an eye to be myopic. One, the front surface of the eye, the cornea, is too curved and therefore too powerful. Two, the eye is too long. Three, a combination of both.

Myopia tends to progress or get worse until the early to middle twenties. By then, the eye usually becomes stable, increases over time in the spectacle prescription would be in small steps; however, there are exceptions! These exceptions can be due to cataracts, diabetes or something caused by pathological myopia. These conditions would cause the prescription changes and fluctuations in vision to be larger. Higher amounts of myopia tend to be hereditary. If there is a moderate or highly nearsighted parent, the odds for one of the children to be myopic are higher.