Nearsightedness is indicated by a minus sign, -, at the beginning of a glasses or contact lens prescription.
When the eyeball is too long or the lens system has too much focusing power, light rays come to a focal point in front of the retina. This refractive error is called myopia or nearsightedness. People with myopia can see images that are close, but have a problem focusing on objects at a distance.
Myopia can be corrected by contacts and/or glasses as well as LASIK, PRK, or ICL surgery.