Myopia, commonly referred to as nearsightedness, is a common vision problem that affects almost a third of the population. The term nearsightedness has become common in describing people with myopia because they are able to see nearby objects more clearly than distant objects.
Because nearsightedness can be a hindrance in daily life, many myopic patients seek effective ways of correcting myopia. Corrective lenses in the form of glasses and contacts are a common way of correcting nearsightedness.
Without the assistance of corrective lenses, people with myopia tend to have difficulty clearly seeing:
Nearsightedness is usually caused by an eye that is too long. The irregular shape of the eye causes incoming light rays to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it. As a result, images of distant objects appear blurry.
Prescription eyewear is effective for correcting myopia because the corrective lens can refocus the incoming light and create clearer images. Unfortunately, glasses and contacts are not a permanent solution for correcting nearsightedness, since they only work when they are being worn.
Hyperopia, commonly referred to as farsightedness, is a common vision problem that also affects a large portion of the population, about 25%. The term farsightedness is commonly used because it describes the condition in which people are able to see distant objects more clearly than nearby objects. This should not be confused with presbyopia in which reading nearby objects becomes difficult. This begins to occur naturally in all people around the age of 40 years.
Like nearsightedness, farsightedness can also be a hindrance in daily life so many hyperopic patients seek effective ways of correcting hyperopia. Corrective lenses in the form of glasses and contacts are a common way of correcting farsightedness.
Without the assistance of corrective lenses, people with hyperopia tend to have difficulty clearly seeing:
Farsightedness is usually caused by an eye that is too short. The irregular shape of the eye causes incoming light rays to focus behind the retina rather than directly on it. As a result, images of near objects appear blurry.
Prescription eyewear is effective for correcting hyperopia because the corrective lens can refocus the incoming light and create clearer images. Unfortunately, glasses and contacts are not permanent solution for correcting farsightedness, since they only work when they are being worn.
Since glasses and contacts can easily be misplaced and cannot be worn during every moment of the day, many people with nearsightedness with or without astigmatism* or farsightedness* seek more advanced solutions for correcting their disorder. Refractive surgery, including ICL vision correction, has become a viable option for correcting these.
During a brief outpatient procedure, the Visian ICL can be implanted into a myopic eye with our without asigmatism* to correct nearsightedness or into a hyperopic eye to correct the farsightedness*. The phakic IOL is often referred to as an implantable contact lens because, like a contact lens, it works with the eye's natural lens to correct a refractive error. Unlike a contact lens, the Visian ICL is surgically placed in the eye and does not have to be removed or cleaned at the end of the day. The Visian ICL also won't slip out of place like a traditional contact lens.
To learn more about correcting myopia / nearsightedness with or without astigmatism* and farsightedness* with the Visian ICL, find a doctor qualified in the Visian ICL implantation procedure or contact STAAR Surgical Company today.
Learn more about correcting myopia / nearsightedness with the Visian ICL by contacting STAAR Surgical Company today.
When researching Visian ICL, you may encounter unfamiliar terminology related to this and other products and procedures. For your convenience, the Visian ICL Glossary defines many of the ophthalmic terms used throughout this website.