Can short sightedness get worse?
Yes, particularly in childhood and the teenage years, when the eye is still growing. Progression usually slows and then stabilises in early adulthood, though it does not stabilise at the same age for everyone.
- Subject
- Vision problems
- Topic
- Myopia (short sightedness)
- Kind of question
- Other questions
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
A prescription that is still changing is one of the reasons surgery is usually deferred, because a treatment planned from a moving prescription may not match the eye a year later.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision problems & prescriptions in Myopia (short sightedness) . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Condition Myopia (short sightedness)
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Eye Health Information
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026