myopia: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 8, 2026

News •

A ‘tidal wave’ of severe eye disease is looming. It starts with childhood nearsightedness • Nov. 5, 2026, 6:00 AM ET (Los Angeles Times)

Facts

Also Known As	shortsightedness • nearsightedness • short-sightedness • near-sightedness

Photos and Videos

Side-by-side diagrams compare a nearsighted eye, where light focuses in front of the retina, with a normal eye, where light focuses on the retina. Both eyes are labeled with cornea, lens, retina, and sclera.

eye: laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)

The difference between nearsightedness and farsightedness

Uncover the science behind myopia and its underlying causes

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Topics

eyeball radial keratotomy photorefractive keratectomy LASIK vision eye disease retinopathy uveitis keratitis macular degeneration conjunctivitis colour blindness glaucoma cataract strabismus detached retina

Key People

Donders, engraving by H. Dilcher after a drawing by F. Kriehuber, c. 1860

Frans Cornelis Donders

Dutch ophthalmologist

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