Home > Learn About Myopia > Understanding Myopia

More commonly known as short-sightedness, myopia is a condition that makes a person see near objects clearly, while distant objects appear blurred.

Singapore has one of the highest rates of myopia in the world. In Singapore about 30% of the children become myopic by the age of 7 and by age 12 about half of them are myopic. There is a grave need to prevent myopia in children at a younger age because the younger the age of onset of myopia, the higher the risk of developing eye related diseases later in life.

How we see

In a person with normal vision, light rays from an object enter and converge on the inner layer of the eye, known as the retina, forming a clear image.

However in a myopic eye, the light rays are focused in front of the retina resulting in blurred images. This is usually because the eyeball is too long.

People with myopia will need spectacles or contact lenses to help re-focus the light rays onto the retina.