When you're myopic, you can only see what's right in front of you. The word works both literally and figuratively.

Literally, myopic means nearsighted: your eyes can focus on close objects but distant things appear blurry. A myopic person might need to squint at the classroom board while reading a book held close feels perfectly comfortable.

More often, though, myopic describes a kind of shortsighted thinking. A myopic decision ignores long-term consequences in favor of immediate benefits. A town council acts myopically when it cuts funding for road repairs to save money this year, even though the roads will cost far more to fix later.

When you catch yourself being myopic, you're usually prioritizing what's easy or immediate over what actually matters in the long run.