Nearsighted, also known as MYOPIC (6 letters) or owly (4 letters), is a vision condition in which distant objects appear blurry while close objects can be seen clearly. It is caused by the shape of the eye, which causes light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. People with nearsightedness may need to wear corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses in order to see distant objects clearly.