What is myopia and pathological myopia?
Myopia, often known as 'being short sighted' causes your vision to be blurry in the distance but clearer when looking at things close up. It's a very common focusing problem and for most people it can easily be corrected, using glasses or contact lenses.
You can develop myopia at any age, but it’s common for it to develop and worsen in childhood or teenage years. Myopia usually becomes more stable in adulthood but there can be periods when myopia continues to increase.
Pathological myopia is different from simply being short sighted. It means that you are very short sighted and that this has caused degenerative changes to the back of your eye. Pathological myopia can cause a reduction in your sight that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Not everyone with high myopia will develop pathological changes and their eyes may remain healthy. The higher your level of your myopia, the higher your risk is of developing pathological changes.
Please also see, Why does myopia occur?
