{"id":27419,"date":"2026-07-10T11:21:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T08:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/athensvision.gr\/myopia\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T10:37:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T07:37:16","slug":"myopia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/athensvision.gr\/en\/myopia\/","title":{"rendered":"Myopia"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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SERVICES \/ MYOPIA<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Myopia<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMyopia is a refractive error that affects nearly 50% of people of working age worldwide.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is myopia?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLaser Refractive Surgery for Myopia<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is myopia?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Myopia is a refractive error that affects nearly 50% of people of working age worldwide.<\/strong><\/p>

It is now preferred to use the term \u201crefractive error\u201d rather than \u201ccondition\u201d when referring to refractive problems. The use of the terms \u201cpatient\u201d and \u201cdisease\u201d to describe our fellow human beings with refractive abnormalities is, in our opinion, somewhat arbitrary, given that refractive variations affect virtually all people at some point in life (e.g., presbyopia). The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated myopia as a pandemic, since in certain regions of the world it now affects 80\u201390% of young people under the age of 30 (e.g., in Singapore).
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Myopia is a refractive error in which distance vision is particularly difficult, but with or without visual aids, in the majority of cases, the myopic person regains normal vision. Specifically, myopia occurs when visual stimuli do not focus on the surface of the retina. This is usually due to either elongation of the eyeball, increased curvature of the cornea, or, in very rare cases, structural problems with the eye\u2019s crystalline lens. Myopia often coexists with other refractive errors, such as astigmatism <\/a><\/strong>and presbyopia<\/a><\/strong>.
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Causes of myopia
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Myopia is often hereditary, meaning it is genetically predetermined in our genome (DNA). Myopia development may have posed a significant advantage for human mankind according to the \u201cantagonistic pleiotropy\u201d principle. More in this article. However, environmental factors are equally important. Prolonged near work in enclosed spaces and the daily use of digital screens are statistically linked to the significant increase in the prevalence of myopia in modern societies. Myopia also occurs in patients who simultaneously have much more serious ophthalmic problems such as congenital glaucoma, congenital cataract, and optic neuropathy, but these are rare exceptions.
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Stabilization of myopia
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Myopia is usually acquired. In the majority of cases, it begins in the later grades of elementary school, although it can occur earlier or later. An exception is congenital myopia, in which the eye is often highly myopic as early as age 3. In these cases, however, the further progression of myopia is not dramatic and stabilizes relatively early. Myopia may stabilize at some point during adolescence, although in most cases there is a small but significant tendency for it to increase further as we grow older until we reach adulthood at 18\u201321 years of age.
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Classification of Myopia
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Myopia <\/strong>can be divided into simple or school myopia and progressive or malignant <\/strong>myopia \u2014 a form where the refractive error is usually at least -6 diopters and the eye exhibits internal changes not seen in simple myopia, such as myopic maculopathy<\/strong>. We also distinguish simple myopia in young adults (college myopia), which refers to individuals whose myopia shows a slight tendency to increase even during their third decade of life. <\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Symptoms of myopia
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Myopia often appears in childhood and most frequently in the later grades of elementary school. Its main symptom is blurred distance vision. A parent may realize their child has myopia if they see the child watching TV from a very close distance, frequently rubbing their eyes, or blinking repeatedly in an effort to focus better. Also, if the child complains of not seeing the blackboard clearly or has frequent headaches, these are signs that should raise concern and prompt a visit to the ophthalmologist for an eye exam.
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Adult patients with refractive errors, such as myopia, may experience frequent headaches and fatigue while driving or exercising, in addition to poor visual acuity. Very often, nearsighted individuals complain of \u201cfloaters\u201d or myopsia, which occur due to liquefaction of the vitreous body.
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Diagnosis of Myopia
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The diagnosis of myopia must be made by a specialized ophthalmologist, who usually performs additional tests beyond a refraction test to rule out other eye conditions that may coexist with myopia. Myopes have approximately a 1 in 200 chance of developing retinal detachment during their lifetime. Furthermore, statistically, adults are more likely to develop cataracts <\/a><\/strong>and glaucoma <\/a><\/strong>in old age than \u201cemmetropic\u201d eyes\u2014that is, eyes without myopia or other refractive errors.
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Treatment of Myopia
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Myopia can be treated in three main ways:
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1. Visual Aids
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The simplest method is the use of glasses or contact lenses, which offer immediate and effective correction.
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2. Refractive surgery (Laser)
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At Athens Vision, we perform customized laser treatments for the permanent correction of myopia:
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