Can myopia really be reversed?
Disease description:
I have -2.00 diopters of myopia, and wearing glasses every day is quite inconvenient. I've heard that myopia is irreversible, but some people say it can be reversed. Is that true?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Wang Shuai
Whether myopia can be reversed mainly depends on its type and severity. If it is pseudo-myopia, vision can usually be improved to some extent. However, if it is true myopia, the condition cannot be reversed.
Pseudo-myopia occurs when the ciliary muscle becomes overly tense or spasms, causing the lens to become more convex and resulting in symptoms similar to myopia, commonly seen in adolescents. At this stage, by relaxing the eyes—such as through eye exercises, looking into the distance, or using ciliary muscle relaxants—the tension in the ciliary muscle can be relieved, and vision may return to normal.
True myopia results from structural changes such as elongation of the anterior-posterior axis of the eye (axial elongation), which is irreversible. Once true myopia develops, the elongated eye axis cannot be shortened again. Vision can only be corrected through wearing glasses or undergoing refractive surgery, which improves clarity, but the underlying condition of myopia remains unchanged.
In daily life, it is important to avoid excessive eye strain, reduce prolonged near-work, and take timely breaks to alleviate the burden on the eyes and slow the progression of myopia.
