MYOPIA(SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS)

• Myopia is a condition of near sightedness that causes blurred distance vision. Typically affects children and young adults but can arise in adults especially those who spend extensive time reading or working on a computer
• Myopia occurs if the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too curved. As a result, the light entering the eye isn't focused correctly, and distant objects look blurred
• It is a refractive error in which parallel rays of light coming from infinity are focused in front of the retina when accommodation is at rest

Clinical varieties of myopia

• Congenital myopia
• Simple or Developmental myopia
• Pathological or Degenerative myopia

Acquired or Secondary myopia which occurs secondary to some other disease/factors

• Axial myopia - Increase in anteroposterior length of the eyeball
• Curvature myopia - Increased curvature of the cornea, lens or both
• Positional myopia - Anterior placement of the crystalline lens in the eye
• Index myopia - Increase in the refractive index of the crystalline lens associated with nuclear sclerosis
• Myopia due to excessive accommodation occurs in patients with a spasm of accommodation

Symptoms

• Clear near vision
• Blurred far vision / Poor vision for distance (short-sightedness)
• Asthenopic symptoms - in a small degree of myopia
• Half shutting of the eyes to achieve the greater clarity of stenopaeic vision

Signs

• Large and Prominent eyeballs
• Anterior chamber - slightly deeper than normal.
• Pupils are large and a bit sluggishly reacting
• Simple myopia usually occurs between 5 and 10 years of age and it keeps on increasing till about 18–20 years of age

Grading of myopia

American Optometric Association (AOA)

• Low myopia, when the error is ≤–3D
• Moderate myopia, when the error is between-3D to –6D
• High myopia, when the error is ≥–6D 

Complications

• Retinal detachment
• Complicated cataract
• Vitreous haemorrhage
• Choroidal haemorrhage
• Primary open-angle glaucoma, not a complication, but is a reported association

• Retinoscopy – Myopic refractive error
• Fundus examination- Myopic crescent may be seen
• A-scan Ultrasonography­--a large anteroposterior length of the eyeball

Optical treatment - prescription of appropriate concave lenses

Refractive surgery

General measures include:

• A balanced diet rich in vitamins and proteins
• Early management of associated debilitating disease
• Visual hygiene

Ayurvedic Treatment

Internal medicines

• Pachanamrutha kashaya – initially to correct agni
• Vaiswanara choorna – initially to correct agni
• Shatpala ghrita
• Triphala Gritha mixed +Triphala choorna + honey
• Aswagandharishtha
• Sapthamrutha lauha

Procedures

• Virechana – Avipathi choorna
• Mukhalepa - Triphala+ Yasti choorna
• Seka - Triphala kashaya
• Siro lepa – Triphala + yashti+Lodra
• Jaloukavacharana – Forehead / eyelid
• Nasya - Ksheerabala avarthi , Jeevanthyadi gritha, Dhanwantara taila
• Sirodhara/ Siropichu - ksheerabala Taila
• Anjana -Pasupatha varti , Chandanadi
• Tarpana - Jeevaneeya Gritha
• Putapaka – Jeevaneeya putapaka