Short-sightedness (myopia)

Symptoms of short-sightedness

Short-sightedness usually starts in children from age 6 to 13. It can also happen in adults.

Signs you or your child may be short-sighted include:

• difficulty reading words from a distance, such as reading the whiteboard at school
• sitting close to the TV or computer, or holding a mobile phone or tablet close to your face
• getting headaches
• rubbing your eyes a lot

Short-sightedness often runs in families, so you may have relatives who are also short-sighted.

It can get worse until the eye has stopped growing, usually at around 20 years of age.

What happens during an eye test

To check if you or your child is short-sighted, an eye test specialist called an optometrist will usually do an eye test.

You'll be asked to look at a light or read letters on a chart while different lenses are placed in front of your eyes.

To check the health of your eyes, you or your child may be given special eye drops so the optometrist can see the back of your eye more clearly.

If you or your child needs glasses, you'll be given a prescription. You can take this to any optician.

Find out more about eye tests for children

Treatments for short-sightedness

Short-sightedness can usually be treated with glasses or contact lenses.

These help your eyes focus correctly so you can see distant objects more clearly.

Glasses are suitable for children and adults. Contact lenses are suitable for adults and some children.

An optician will advise you about the best option for you.

Help with costs of glasses and contact lenses

Some people are entitled to a voucher to help towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses (NHS optical voucher), including:

• children aged under 16
• teenagers aged 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education
• people on certain benefits, including Income Support and Universal Credit

If you do not have a voucher, you'll have to pay for glasses or contact lenses.

Find out more about NHS optical vouchers

Laser eye surgery and lens surgery

Surgery can be used to improve sight in some adults.

There are 2 different types of surgery:

• laser surgery to reshape the front of your eye
• lens surgery to replace the lenses in your eyes with artificial lenses

This type of surgery is not available on the NHS and can be expensive.

Find out more about laser eye surgery and lens surgery

How to stop short-sightedness getting worse

It's not clear why short-sightedness happens, and it's hard to prevent it.

But there are some things that can help stop it getting worse, including spending more time outdoors (especially for children).

An optometrist may talk to you about specially designed glasses or contact lenses for your child, which may help slow down the development of myopia.

This is called myopia management or myopia control. But it's not available on the NHS as more research is needed.

Some opticians may advise that your child wears a special lens overnight (orthokeratology). This can help them see better without glasses or contact lenses.

If you're worried about your or your child's eyesight getting worse, talk to an optician.

Find out more about myopia management in children on The College of Optometrists' website

Complications of short-sightedness

Young children with uncorrected short-sightedness may be more likely to get other conditions, such as:

• a squint – where the eyes point in different directions
• a lazy eye – where sight in 1 eye does not develop properly

Some adults with severe short sight-sightedness may be more likely to develop:

• glaucoma – increased pressure inside your eyes
• detached retina – where the thin layer at the back of your eye (retina) becomes loose; this needs urgent treatment to prevent losing your sight
• cataracts – cloudy patches inside the lens of your eye
• macular degeneration – this affects the middle part of your vision (it's more common in people aged 50 and over)