Eye and Vision Care

Nearsightedness and roller coasters.

07/25/2000 07:36PM

Question:

I am extremely nearsighted and I have recently been told to avoid high speed roller coasters. Is this true and why?

Answer:

Extremely nearsighted (myopic) patients have eyes that are longer that other patients; but they don`t have more retinal tissue. Because of this anatomical fact, the retinal layer (in the back of the eye) of highly myopic patients is stretched and therefore is more likely to become detached.

Head trauma, compression injuries to the eye (like getting hit with a fist or a tennis ball), or sudden increases in pressure on the eye (like going down a steep roller coaster) can cause a retinal detachment in extremely nearsighted patients.

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Response by:

Robert D. Newcomb, OD, MPH, FAAO
Professor of Clinical Optometry
College of Optometry
The Ohio State University