Myopic patients are diagnosed as such because their focusing system is too strong for the length of their eye. Myopic, or nearsighted, patients experience blurred vision at far distances, but they are able to view near objects with ease.

When light enters the normal eye, it is focused directly onto the retina so that objects at all distances are in focus. If one has myopia, the eye is usually longer than average, and the light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina.

In the past, myopia was corrected with glasses or contacts that would allow a person to focus on objects that were far away. Now, laser vision correction procedures, like LASIK and EpiLASIK, can be performed to correct myopia.

During a LASIK procedure, the LASIK surgeon creates a flap in the outer layer of the cornea. Then, a VISX laser is used to reshape the central curve of the cornea to make it flatter.

By reshaping the cornea during the LASIK procedure, light entering the eye is focused further back in the eye, directly on the retina. This allows objects at all distance to be seen clearly either without or with very minimal aid.