6 ‫اخطاء انكسار‬ ‫بصريات‬/‫مرحلة ثانية‬  ‫حسن عبد الهادي الجابري‬

Myopia (shortsightedness): is a type of refractive error in which parallel rays of light

coming from infinity are focused in front of the retina when accommodation is at rest.

Types of optical (mechanism of production)

1- Axial myopia results from increase in antero-posterior length of the eyeball.
2- Curvature myopia occurs due to increase curvature of the cornea, lens or both.
3- Positional myopia is produced by anterior displacement of crystalline lens in the eye.
4- Index myopia results from increase in the refractive index of the crystalline lens
associated with nuclear sclerosis.
5- Myopia due to excessive accommodation occurs in patients with spasm of
accommodation.

Optics of myopia
1- Optical system of a myopic eye is too powerful for its axial length.
2- Image of distant object on the retina is made up of the circles of diffusion formed by
divergent beam, since the parallel rays of light coming from infinity are focused in
front of the retina.
3- Far point of the myopic eye is a finite point in front of the eye.
4- Nodal point in a myopic eye is further away from the retina.

Fig: image formed in an uncorrected myopia is larger than formed by an emmetropic eye (A) and
spectacle-corrected myopia (B).

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 6 ‫اخطاء انكسار‬ ‫بصريات‬/‫مرحلة ثانية‬  ‫حسن عبد الهادي الجابري‬

Clinical varieties of myopia

1- Congenital myopia
2- Simple or developmental myopia
3- Pathological or degenerative or progressive myopia
4- Acquired myopia

1- Congenital myopia
 Is present since birth, it is usually diagnosed by the age of 2-3 years.
 It is seen more frequently in children who were born prematurely or with various
birth defects
 It is usually associated with an increase in axial length and overall globe size.
 It may be associated with congenital convergent squint.
 Simple myopia (low, moderate, high)

Aetiology ‫المسببات المرضية‬

Simple myopia results from normal biological variation in the development of eye.
Inheritance is considered to be autosomal dominant.

The factors associated with simple myopia are as follows:

1- Axial type of simple myopia may signify just a physiological variation in the length
of the eyeball or it may associate with precocious neurological growth during
childhood.
2- Curvature type of simple myopia is considered to be due to under development of
the eyeball.
3- Role of diet in early childhood ‫سوء التغذية‬
4- Theory of excessive near work in childhood.

Symptoms ‫االعراض‬
1- Poor vision for distance (shortsightedness).
2- Asthenopic symptom ‫اعراض وهن البصر‬