Myopia/Near-Sightedness

Treatment for Myopia (Near-sightedness) with our Coral Gables Ophthalmologist

Nearsightedness (myopia) is the most common refractive error diagnosed by your Coral Gables ophthalmologist. People with myopia cannot see things clearly far away and may need to wear glasses or contact lenses to correct their vision. For vision treatment for myopia, get in touch with our eye center in Miami.

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What is Myopia?


Myopia occurs when your eyeballs are abnormally long in shape, which prevents incoming light from directly falling on the retina at the back of the eye.

An irregularly curved cornea also contributes to myopia. Unless light images are focused directly on the retina, these image signals transmitted to the brain through the optic nerve are interpreted by the brain as blurry and distorted. In addition, myopia has a strong genetic component, meaning if your parents or grandparents are nearsighted, there is an increased chance that you or children with be diagnosed with myopia.

How is Myopia Diagnosed by a Doctor of Ophthalmology?

Your Miami ophthalmologist uses the Snellen eye chart to determine severity of nearsightedness. You will be asked to read variously sized letters of the alphabet at a distance. A device called a photoropter is also applied during your eye exam. Photoropters contain refractive lenses of different strengths that you look through while viewing the Snellen eye chart. Your ophthalmologist will ask you if you see well as the photoropter changes from one type of refractive lens to another. Ultimately, the photoropter test determines what kind of prescription your ophthalmologist writes for your corrective lenses.

Below are the categories of severity for myopia:

  • Mild Myopia < -3.00 diopters
  • Moderate Myopia -3.00 to -6.00 diopters
  • Severe Myopia -6.00 to -9.00 diopters
  • Extreme Myopia > -9.00 diopters

Alternatives to Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses for Treating Myopia

If you are diagnosed with myopia or currently wear glasses or contacts to correct myopia, you may be interested in learning about LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) surgery to reduce or even eliminate your need to wear corrective lenses. LASIK involves reshaping of the cornea to improve the ability of incoming light to focus more precisely on the retina.

LASIK does not require general anesthesia and the procedure is completed by a Coral Gables LASIK surgeon in less than 30 minutes. Using a specialized laser beam to ablate (remove) tiny amounts of corneal tissue, your LASIK surgeon slightly flattens your cornea to reduce vision blurriness and distortion due to myopia.

Contact Us Today

For more information about myopia and LASIK or to schedule a consultation appointment with our ophthalmologist, call the Laser Center of Coral Gables today at (305) 461-0003.