Myopia Vision Simulator
Author: Jason Higginbotham
BSc (Hons) MCOptom Prof Cert Glau Prof Cert Med Ret Prof Cert LV FBDO MBCLA
Disclaimer: The Myopia Vision Simulator is for guidance only. It provides a simple an estimation and should not be used as clinical guidance or as a substitute for advice from an eye care professional.
Myopia Vision Simulator | See What -1.00 to -10.00 Looks Like
It is hard - well, actually, impossible - to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Our vision and perspective are unique.
Of course, we all understand that myopia (short-sightedness) makes things blurry. But how blurry? And how does that blur change as a prescription increases? For people who aren’t myopic, it can be even trickier to understand what living with different levels of myopia actually looks like.
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This myopia visualiser was created to give parents and those non-myopes, a small insight into how different prescriptions may affect visual clarity in everyday settings - a classroom, a high street, at a party, or during sport. It’s designed to help parents, teachers and anyone interested in childhood myopia better understand what distance vision can look like at -1.00D, -3.00D or -6.00D and beyond.
It is, of course, only an estimation and should not be used as clinical guidance or as a substitute for advice from an eye care professional.
NB If you are a myope - drop us an email with your experience of what your prescription means for you! - Click Here
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People with myopia are called “myopes” or are termed “myopic”.
People who are myopic are more often called short-sighted or nearsighted.
Understanding your child's myopic vision at different dioptres
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Our Myopia Vision Simulator is designed to help parents understand what different prescription strengths actually look like in real life. Many people ask, “Is -2.00 bad?” or “How blurry is -5.00?” but it can be difficult to visualise what those numbers mean. This simulator allows you to experience how distance vision changes across a range of dioptres, helping you see the difference between mild, moderate and high myopia in practical, everyday situations.
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In the classroom scene, you can explore how a child with -1.00 may still manage reasonably well, while a child with -3.00 or -4.00 may struggle to read the board clearly from the back of the room. As prescriptions increase, details soften further, making letters and numbers harder to distinguish. This highlights how even relatively low levels of myopia can affect learning if not properly corrected.
The high street scene demonstrates how distance blur impacts daily life beyond school. Street signs, shop names and directional signage gradually lose clarity as the dioptre increases. At lower levels, objects may appear slightly soft. At higher levels, fine detail disappears altogether. This helps parents understand how myopia can affect independence, navigation and confidence outdoors.
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In the sports scene, the simulator shows how tracking a football or recognising teammates becomes progressively more difficult as myopia increases. Fast-moving objects and distant detail become harder to judge, which can affect participation and enjoyment. By adjusting the prescription strength, you can clearly see how visual sharpness changes from -1.00 through to higher levels of myopia.
In the party scene, the simulator captures a different side of myopia — the social impact. At lower levels, faces across the room may appear slightly soft but still recognisable. As the prescription increases, facial features lose clarity, expressions become harder to read, and distinguishing between people becomes more difficult. At higher dioptres, recognising friends at a distance can feel uncertain, and it becomes easier to mistake someone you don’t know for someone you do — or worse, fail to acknowledge someone you should. For children and teenagers especially, this can feel awkward or even embarrassing. The simulator helps parents appreciate that myopia doesn’t just affect school performance or sport — it can also influence confidence and social comfort in everyday situations.
While the simulator focuses on blur and everyday experience, it also reinforces an important point: myopia is not just about what looks fuzzy. The number reflects eye growth, and higher levels of myopia are typically linked to longer axial length. The simulator helps families understand the visual impact — and encourages deeper learning about why monitoring progression matters for long-term eye health.