You see blurry from a few metres away. Whiteboards, road signs, faces in the street: everything blurs. Myopia is the most common refractive error and one of the best corrected by modern surgery.
Myopia is a refractive error of the eye. A myopic eye is too long relative to its optical power: light converges in front of the retina rather than on it. Distant objects appear blurry; near vision remains sharp.
It is measured in negative dioptres on your prescription. It usually appears in childhood or adolescence and stabilises, in most cases, between 18 and 25 years of age.[1]
Myopia is largely hereditary. When both parents are myopic, the risk for the child is multiplied by six compared with non-myopic parents.[2] Environmental factors also play a role: prolonged near work, screen exposure and lack of natural light are associated with faster progression. Recent data suggest that at least two hours of daily exposure to natural light significantly slows myopia progression in children.[3]
Dependence on glasses or contact lenses shapes many activities: sport, night driving, working on screens in mixed environments. Driving without correction is prohibited beyond a certain threshold of visual deficit.[4] Halos and reduced night contrast are common in uncorrected myopes.
Low myopia · 0.25 to 3 D
Mainly bothersome at distance. Many patients function without correction indoors.
Moderate myopia · 3 to 6 D
Daily dependence on optical correction. Quality of life significantly reduced without glasses or lenses.
High myopia · beyond 6 D
Very blurry vision without correction from just a few centimetres away. The elongation of the eyeball generates retinal tensions which justify regular monitoring with fundus examination, regardless of any surgical decision.[5]
High myopia and retinal monitoringBeyond 6 D, an annual fundus examination is recommended by the French Society of Ophthalmology, whether surgery is considered or not.[5]
References
Three techniques today provide durable correction of myopia. The choice depends on your correction, your corneal thickness and your expectations.
Between −6 and −8 dioptres, the decision between laser and ICL implants is not automatic. It is precisely in this range that the preoperative exam is most decisive.
Residual corneal thickness, topography and anterior chamber are the parameters that guide the choice. Two patients with the same correction can have radically different indications.
Beyond −8 D, ICL implants are in the vast majority of cases the reference solution: they make it possible to correct myopia that laser cannot treat safely.
The only way to know which technique is suited to your myopia is a complete exam. In one hour, I have all the parameters to give you a precise answer.
A preoperative exam determines precisely which technique is suited to your profile and whether surgery is an option for you. The first consultation is by appointment.
Can myopia worsen after age 25? In most cases, myopia stabilises between 20 and 25 years of age. A correction stable for at least two years is required before any refractive surgery. If the correction is still evolving, the procedure is postponed until stabilisation.
Can high myopia be operated on? Laser myopia surgery (Femto-LASIK, PRK) effectively corrects myopia up to −8 to −10 dioptres depending on corneal thickness. Beyond that, or when the cornea is too thin, ICL implants are the alternative of choice: they do not remove corneal tissue and correct myopia up to −20 dioptres.
Does myopia come back after laser surgery? No, unless the correction had not yet stabilised at the time of the procedure. That is why refractive stability is an essential eligibility criterion. On the other hand, the appearance of presbyopia after age 40 is an independent process that laser does not prevent.
Myopia is a very common refractive error that can be durably corrected by refractive surgery. The choice between Femto-LASIK, PRK and ICL implants depends on corneal thickness, the degree of myopia and lifestyle. The initial consultation allows the technique best suited to your profile to be identified in a single visit.