This condition is very common and is experienced by around 1 in every 10 people to some degree, with approximately 5% of these people having severe myopia.

Those who are affected by short-sightedness (myopia) will often require the use of glasses to help with distance vision because objects that are further away, will appear to be blurred. This Condition is often diagnosed by an optician who considers the patient’s symptoms, as well as carrying out a sight test to confirm the diagnosis. Regular sight tests will monitor the condition as it can progress further with time, showing on the optician’s prescription with a minus sign before the number (sphere) – e.g. -2.00D.

The severity of the condition is reflected by the size of the number, with a smaller number representing a milder concern.
Myopia is a condition that seems to be increasing in prevalence, and experts are predicting that by 2050, almost 5 billion people will be affected. This would be an increase of around 3 billion from the 2 billion cases that were recorded in 2010.