How Can You Tell the Difference Between Pseudomyopia and True Myopia, and What Happens If You Get Glasses Prescribed Based on That Measurement?
Pseudomyopia (a condition in which the ciliary muscle, responsible for focusing the eye, remains tense, causing distant objects to appear blurry and making the eye seem myopic) can be distinguished from true myopia through a cycloplegic refraction test. During this examination, eye drops are used to temporarily relax the ciliary muscle before measuring the refractive error again [1][3]. If the degree of myopia disappears or decreases after the eye drops are administered, it indicates pseudomyopia. If it remains unchanged, it indicates true myopia [1][3]. If glasses are prescribed based on pseudomyopia measurements, the lenses will be stronger than the eyes actually need, resulting in overcorrection with excessive minus lenses [5]. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency notes that wearing glasses with a higher prescription than necessary is known to promote myopia progression [1]. Questions like these are frequently posted on Naver Knowledge iN: “Can you see clearly while...
