Health Library
The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.
Nearsightedness
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Corneal ring implants are clear pieces of plastic that can be surgically implanted into the clear, dome-shaped bulge at the front of the eye called the cornea. The implants flatten the cornea and reduce nearsightedness. The implants are shaped like crescents or half-circles. After you get local anesthesia, two implants...
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Guides through decision to have laser surgery to correct nearsightedness. Covers benefits and risks. Discusses who is a good candidate for surgery. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
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Prescriptions for glasses have two main components: shape and power. The shape of a lens determines the type of correction. Concave, or minus, spherical lenses are thicker at the sides than in the middle to correct nearsightedness (myopia). Convex, or plus, lenses are thicker in the middle than at the...
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PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis), and epi-LASIK (epithelial laser in-situ keratomileusis) use a laser to reshape the cornea. By reshaping the cornea, these surgeries allow light to focus on the retina and thereby correct a person's vision. With PRK, the top layer on the...
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LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis) is a surgery that flattens the cornea. It is the most common laser surgery for correcting nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism. LASIK makes a small flap in the cornea and removes some of the tissue exposed by the flap. The laser removes tissue from the cornea very accurately...
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What is nearsightedness? Nearsightedness (myopia) is a common cause of blurred vision. It can be mild, moderate, or severe. If you are nearsighted, objects in the distance appear blurry and out of focus. You might squint or frown when trying to see distant objects clearly. View a photo as seen through a normal and a...
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Bifocal contact lenses have been developed for people who have both nearsightedness and presbyopia. Bifocal lenses provide correction for both near and distance vision on each lens. A number of designs are available in hard and soft lenses. There are two main types of bifocal contact lenses: Segmented (also called...