High myopia

The higher the number of dioptres, the blurrier your distance vision will be. In addition, some of the complications that can be triggered by high myopia in the fundus can cause different visual symptoms that should not be overlooked and need to be checked.

Although the exact causes are not known, high myopia has a genetic component; thus, there is usually a family history.

In turn, having a high number of dioptres increases the risk for vision and, for example, increases the probability of suffering a retinal detachment by more than 10 times. Other complications in the fundus can be macular hole, macular epiretinal membrane or myopic macular degeneration – which affect central vision –, as well as haemorrhages, alterations in the vitreous gel, etc.

High myopia is also related to early cataracts (1 in 5 young patients who develop them are highly myopic) and especially complex cases of glaucoma. Moreover, it also increases the propensity for strabismus to appear.

Among the most common treatments for high myopia are glasses and contact lenses, although advances in refractive surgery allow us to treat high prescriptions safely and effectively nowadays. Above 6-8 dioptres, we usually opt for the implantation of intraocular lenses, whereas, at the Miranza clinics, we will advise you on the most suitable ones for you.

However, even if we correct the refractive error surgically, the eye is still predisposed to possible complications. For expert handling, we also have ophthalmologists specialising in retina, cataracts, glaucoma and strabismus.