Ask the Optician

ASK NOW

Myopia- All your questions answered

Myopia is the most common cause of impaired vision in people under age 40 and the prevalence of myopia is rising. The WHO estimates that this year, shortsightedness will affect 2.56 billion people and as a major risk factor for developing cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal detachment, it is important to have regular visits to your optometrist if you have myopia or think you might have it. 

What is myopia? 

Known as ‘nearsightedness’, myopia is when you can see close-up objects clearly, but far away things appear blurry. Nearsightedness is a refractive error where the eye does not bend (or refract) light properly, resulting in an unclear vision of faraway objects. 

Myopia causes

Myopia is genetic. It occurs when the eyeball is longer than normal or your cornea (the protective outer layer of the eye) is curved too steeply. When light enters your eye it focuses in front of your retina instead of being precisely on your retina. 

Myopia symptoms

These are the common signs you could have shortsightedness: 

• Eyestrain

• Headaches

• Squinting to see properly

• Difficulty seeing objects far away, like road signs or the whiteboard for school kids

Myopia in children

Myopia is genetic, so pay extra attention to your children if you are nearsighted. Children commonly develop myopia between 8 and 12 years old and during the teenage years the level of myopia can actually worsen as the body grows rapidly. Myopia normally stabilizes when people are between 20 and 40 years old. 

Common signs of myopia in children include: 

• Persistently squinting 

• Sitting close to the television, movie screen, or the front of the classroom

• Unaware of distant objects

• Blinking excessively

• Rubbing their eyes often

Myopia treatment

Fortunately, myopia is easy to treat and can involve these options: 

• Single vision lenses: Glasses for myopia are ideal as they allow the light to reflect directly on your retina so vision appears clearly. Discover our lenses here

• An anti-reflective coating on your lenses is ideal for comfort when wearing your glasses throughout the day. You can add this coating to your order during checkout. Read further on to learn about the highest quality lenses you can get for the best prices.

• Contact lenses: Spherical contact lenses and multifocal contact lenses are ideal for correcting myopia. Take a look at our range of contact lenses for myopia here.

• Eye drops from your optometrist can help slow the progression in children. 

Extreme myopia

Also known as ‘high myopia’, this is when the eyeball grows bigger than it is meant to and becomes very long. It makes it very difficult to see faraway objects but also increases your likelihood of developing cataracts, glaucoma, and a detached retina. If you have high myopia, you can normally treat it with glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. 

Myopia prescription

Your myopia prescription for both glasses and contact lenses will be a negative number in the ‘sphere’. The more negative the number is, it means the stronger your prescription is. For more information on how to read your prescription, see our handy guide here.

Eye exercises for myopia 

Finally, you might have heard that eye exercises can be an alternative treatment to glasses or surgery for myopia. Unfortunately, eye exercises cannot treat short-sightedness, as they’re not able to alter the shape of your cornea. However, we have compiled some eye exercises which could help reduce some of the symptoms resulting from myopia, like eye strain. 

I’ve Got My Myopic Prescription and I’m Looking for Some New Glasses. What Now?

Excellent. The biggest step is out of your way and now you can select a pair of myopia glasses – or even prescription sunglasses – that’s right for you. At SmartBuyGlasses we’ve curated an entire range of luxury brands, economic pairs, latest technologies, and more. We stock many brands that can be adjusted to suit your myopic prescription- just upload your new prescription on checkout. If you’ve seen a pair you like the look of, but aren’t sure how they’ll look on your face, don’t worry as we’ve taken the guesswork out of the picture with our Virtual Try-On Technology. If your face is characterized by high cheekbones, a wide forehead, and a low nose bridge, you may consider Asian Fit glasses to ensure that your eyeglasses stay in place and feel comfortable all day. They’re designed with extra nose padding and straighter arm temples so that you don’t feel any discomfort while wearing your glasses. Read our guide on the parts of eyeglasses as well as our face shape guide.

Virtual Try-On

SmartBuyGlasses’ revolutionary Virtual Try-On tool is an advanced online solution to the problem of not being able to check out a pair of glasses in-hand. It’s simple and free! See what you look like wearing different designer sunglasses or eyeglasses from home in just 2 easy steps.

Step 1: record your selfie video. We’ll walk you through a simple process and show you how to use your desktop or mobile camera to record a quick, five-second selfie video.

Step 2: try on glasses online! Go to the brand page of any glasses you’d like to virtually try on. Then, filter by ‘virtual try-on’ in the special features option. You can see yourself wearing any of the glasses that appear! We have over 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses and 6,000 pairs of sunglasses just a few clicks away from appearing on your face!

Given the current pandemic, going to your local opticians’ or eyewear store to calmly try on eyeglass frames isn’t so easy at the moment. Virtual Try-On eliminates the stress of making your mind up in person, the time wasted going to and from the store, and the typically high costs of visiting a brick-and-mortar shop. It really is the perfect socially distanced try-before-you-buy!

Arise HD Prescription Lenses

Lenses are ultimately why you’re buying the eyeglasses. We recommend investing in the highest configuration of lenses as you can. SmartBuyGlasses offers groundbreaking durability, pristine clarity, and perfect vision – all in the same lenses. Arise HD Clarity Prescription Lenses are made for the everyday wearer, but also offer advanced protection making them suitable for any adventure.

The Arise Clarity Lens Collection comes packed with protective elements to provide you with an unbeatable pair of prescription glasses. From scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coatings to UV 400 and superhydrophobic protection, these lenses are guaranteed to keep your eyes comfortable in any situation. 

These lenses are also aspheric, making them thinner and lighter than many other prescription lenses. These high performing, durable lenses feature an innovative lens technology that provides optimal clarity and comfort in the urban jungle.

Simply choose any frames you like, enter your prescription, and select Arise Collective for your lens type. Let’s get started!

zFORT® Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Blue light is a potentially harmful form of light. While it is naturally emitted by the sun, electronic devices (upon which we’re spending more and more time every day) are also high-level producers. Blue light rays at a wavelength between 415nm – 455nm can damage your retinal cells, which may lead to premature eye ageing and vision problems in the future.

Our exposure to these harmful light rays may also cause a range of other health problems, including poor sleep (according to a 2012 Harvard Medical School study). Find out more about how to protect your eyes from blue light with anti-blue light glasses from zFORT®.

Ask the Optician

ASK NOW

Myopia- All your questions answered

Myopia is the most common cause of impaired vision in people under age 40 and the prevalence of myopia is rising. The WHO estimates that this year, shortsightedness will affect 2.56 billion people and as a major risk factor for developing cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal detachment, it is important to have regular visits to your optometrist if you have myopia or think you might have it. 

What is myopia? 

Known as ‘nearsightedness’, myopia is when you can see close-up objects clearly, but far away things appear blurry. Nearsightedness is a refractive error where the eye does not bend (or refract) light properly, resulting in an unclear vision of faraway objects. 

Myopia causes

Myopia is genetic. It occurs when the eyeball is longer than normal or your cornea (the protective outer layer of the eye) is curved too steeply. When light enters your eye it focuses in front of your retina instead of being precisely on your retina. 

Myopia symptoms

These are the common signs you could have shortsightedness: 

• Eyestrain

• Headaches

• Squinting to see properly

• Difficulty seeing objects far away, like road signs or the whiteboard for school kids

Myopia in children

Myopia is genetic, so pay extra attention to your children if you are nearsighted. Children commonly develop myopia between 8 and 12 years old and during the teenage years the level of myopia can actually worsen as the body grows rapidly. Myopia normally stabilizes when people are between 20 and 40 years old. 

Common signs of myopia in children include: 

• Persistently squinting 

• Sitting close to the television, movie screen, or the front of the classroom

• Unaware of distant objects

• Blinking excessively

• Rubbing their eyes often

Myopia treatment

Fortunately, myopia is easy to treat and can involve these options: 

• Single vision lenses: Glasses for myopia are ideal as they allow the light to reflect directly on your retina so vision appears clearly. Discover our lenses here

• An anti-reflective coating on your lenses is ideal for comfort when wearing your glasses throughout the day. You can add this coating to your order during checkout. Read further on to learn about the highest quality lenses you can get for the best prices.

• Contact lenses: Spherical contact lenses and multifocal contact lenses are ideal for correcting myopia. Take a look at our range of contact lenses for myopia here.

• Eye drops from your optometrist can help slow the progression in children. 

Extreme myopia

Also known as ‘high myopia’, this is when the eyeball grows bigger than it is meant to and becomes very long. It makes it very difficult to see faraway objects but also increases your likelihood of developing cataracts, glaucoma, and a detached retina. If you have high myopia, you can normally treat it with glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. 

Myopia prescription

Your myopia prescription for both glasses and contact lenses will be a negative number in the ‘sphere’. The more negative the number is, it means the stronger your prescription is. For more information on how to read your prescription, see our handy guide here.

Eye exercises for myopia 

Finally, you might have heard that eye exercises can be an alternative treatment to glasses or surgery for myopia. Unfortunately, eye exercises cannot treat short-sightedness, as they’re not able to alter the shape of your cornea. However, we have compiled some eye exercises which could help reduce some of the symptoms resulting from myopia, like eye strain. 

I’ve Got My Myopic Prescription and I’m Looking for Some New Glasses. What Now?

Excellent. The biggest step is out of your way and now you can select a pair of myopia glasses – or even prescription sunglasses – that’s right for you. At SmartBuyGlasses we’ve curated an entire range of luxury brands, economic pairs, latest technologies, and more. We stock many brands that can be adjusted to suit your myopic prescription- just upload your new prescription on checkout. If you’ve seen a pair you like the look of, but aren’t sure how they’ll look on your face, don’t worry as we’ve taken the guesswork out of the picture with our Virtual Try-On Technology. If your face is characterized by high cheekbones, a wide forehead, and a low nose bridge, you may consider Asian Fit glasses to ensure that your eyeglasses stay in place and feel comfortable all day. They’re designed with extra nose padding and straighter arm temples so that you don’t feel any discomfort while wearing your glasses. Read our guide on the parts of eyeglasses as well as our face shape guide.

Virtual Try-On

SmartBuyGlasses’ revolutionary Virtual Try-On tool is an advanced online solution to the problem of not being able to check out a pair of glasses in-hand. It’s simple and free! See what you look like wearing different designer sunglasses or eyeglasses from home in just 2 easy steps.

Step 1: record your selfie video. We’ll walk you through a simple process and show you how to use your desktop or mobile camera to record a quick, five-second selfie video.

Step 2: try on glasses online! Go to the brand page of any glasses you’d like to virtually try on. Then, filter by ‘virtual try-on’ in the special features option. You can see yourself wearing any of the glasses that appear! We have over 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses and 6,000 pairs of sunglasses just a few clicks away from appearing on your face!

Given the current pandemic, going to your local opticians’ or eyewear store to calmly try on eyeglass frames isn’t so easy at the moment. Virtual Try-On eliminates the stress of making your mind up in person, the time wasted going to and from the store, and the typically high costs of visiting a brick-and-mortar shop. It really is the perfect socially distanced try-before-you-buy!

Arise HD Prescription Lenses

Lenses are ultimately why you’re buying the eyeglasses. We recommend investing in the highest configuration of lenses as you can. SmartBuyGlasses offers groundbreaking durability, pristine clarity, and perfect vision – all in the same lenses. Arise HD Clarity Prescription Lenses are made for the everyday wearer, but also offer advanced protection making them suitable for any adventure.

The Arise Clarity Lens Collection comes packed with protective elements to provide you with an unbeatable pair of prescription glasses. From scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coatings to UV 400 and superhydrophobic protection, these lenses are guaranteed to keep your eyes comfortable in any situation. 

These lenses are also aspheric, making them thinner and lighter than many other prescription lenses. These high performing, durable lenses feature an innovative lens technology that provides optimal clarity and comfort in the urban jungle.

Simply choose any frames you like, enter your prescription, and select Arise Collective for your lens type. Let’s get started!

zFORT® Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Blue light is a potentially harmful form of light. While it is naturally emitted by the sun, electronic devices (upon which we’re spending more and more time every day) are also high-level producers. Blue light rays at a wavelength between 415nm – 455nm can damage your retinal cells, which may lead to premature eye ageing and vision problems in the future.

Our exposure to these harmful light rays may also cause a range of other health problems, including poor sleep (according to a 2012 Harvard Medical School study). Find out more about how to protect your eyes from blue light with anti-blue light glasses from zFORT®.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *