What Is Pathologic Myopia?

Pathologic myopia is a form of nearsightedness that requires extra attention.

Generally, people should have an eye exam every year. At these exams, patients' vision is checked, and if they wear corrective lenses, prescriptions may be adjusted.

As you age, your vision can change, so it's important to stay on top of your eye health to correct problems before they get out of control.

If you have nearsightedness, it's even more important to stay on top of the health of your eye to diagnose and help degenerative myopia, in case it becomes a problem.

Nearsightedness, also called myopia, occurs when the patient's cornea is too steep, or the eyeball itself is too long. This means images are not focused on the retina in the back of the eye.

One serious form of myopia is degenerative myopia, also called pathologic myopia.

This form of nearsightedness gets worse over time, and is the seventh leading cause of legal blindness in the U.S., affecting about two percent of Americans.

Pathologic myopia is usually an inherited genetic condition that develops in adolescence (around age twelve).

Like normal nearsightedness, degenerative myopia is caused by an elongated eyeball.

However, with degenerative myopia, the eyeball continues to stretch with age, leading to increased loss of sight in addition to many of the struggles that come with nearsightedness, such as headaches and eye fatigue.

People are also more susceptible to the damage caused by eye trauma.

In many cases, the abnormal development of new blood vessels occurs beneath the macula, as well.

What Can Be Done

Fortunately, there is help for those with degenerative myopia.

• There is a therapy that was approved in 2001 that uses the photosensitive drug Visudyne, which is injected, to treat the condition.

  This solution has proved effective for many people, and in addition to correcting patients' vision, has also helped the damage caused by the growth of new blood vessels.

• More "traditional" solutions, exist, as well. In addition to using glasses or contact lenses to correct your vision, surgery may also be an alternative.

  Unfortunately refractive surgery, such as PRK or LASIK, is not a good option for people with degenerative myopia. Intraocular lens implantation can be accomplished though.

Degenerative myopia is a health issue that affects many people. If it's not taken seriously, it can eventually lead to blindness, as well as other health problems.

Fortunately, there are things you can do (with the help of your eye doctor) to keep your eyes as healthy as possible.

Are YOU or your child diagnosed with pathologic myopia? Here you can share your experience with others:

Share Your Own Myopia Story!



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