Myopia: Visual Perception - Coursework Example

Myopia, an eyesight defect affecting millions of young adult Americans, according to Goldstein (2010), is a phenomenon wherein distant objects appear blurred on sight because of the formation of parallel rays coming mainly from a distant light source and brought in focus in front of the retinal corner of the eye. According to the work of McLeod (2007), the formation of these parallel rays has the effect of blurring distant objects for those who have nearsightedness.                                                         

It is a common scenario that people with myopia have different views regarding the management and solution to the condition.  Some would want to resolve it by controlling the distance of the object from their eyes.  One of the best examples can be seen in the classroom or the learning environment.  Because eyesight is a major factor in learning, it can greatly affect the output.  With the significance of eyesight and the effects of myopia, I became interested in researching the subject.  Just recently, I have known being myopic means being nearsighted. Previously, I had observed that most of the people with myopia are wearing corrective eyeglasses to be able to have normal vision.  I also noticed that others who are not wearing eyeglasses wear contact lenses instead. Moreover, some of the individuals I have known to have such a condition tend to peruse books and other reading materials abnormally, as compared to people with normal eyesight or without eye defects. The most extreme experience that I have had with one of these people is that when I encountered someone reading something inside the library with a reading distance of just about five centimeters from the book he is perusing. As discussed in an article written by Merikle et al (200), the extreme case of reading by positioning the book or other reading material close to the eyes is due to having too long eyeballs. In my opinion, it is a very uncomfortable way of reading. He is not wearing eyeglasses though.  In cases like this, the danger of everyday life can be considered as the main concern, for example in walking outside or crossing the street

In connection to that, I have a close friend who belongs to the few people I have known to be myopic. She does not wear eyeglasses, because she believes that conventional eyewear makes her look bad and old and that it could negatively affect her appearance.  During classes, she always sits in front to allow herself to copy and take down notes. She once tripped in one of our walking sessions, but it did not change her mind to wear any eyesight corrective equipment. Somehow, she is living comfortably being myopic without having to wear any eyewear until one incident made her world somehow turn upside down. After that, she decided to wear eyeglasses even if it makes her uncomfortable. One time, we are walking along one of the streets in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood is near a highway, where there is a busy and almost scary flow of traffic.  During our walk, we decided to go to a nearby shop. Going there, we need to cross the busy street. She did not notice that the light turned red. She suddenly rushes to cross the street, without waiting for us. And she has been hit by a slow-moving car, leaving her with some concussions and a few scars. I believe if she is so unlucky that day, she might have died.

Accidents could happen to myopic people, especially so whenever precautionary measures are not done to correct such eye defects.  Although myopia cannot be considered as life-threatening, ignorance of the risks involved in such a condition can also lead to danger.