Refractive Errors

Normal Refraction

The clear cornea, like a prism, bends light. Light images focus onto the retina. Normal focus is sharp and clear.

Myopia – Nearsightedness and Correction

With myopia, distant objects focus in front of the retina. Nearsightedness is due to a steep cornea or a longer eye.

Minus lens glasses or contact lenses focus far objects to correct myopia. LASIK can be used to flatten the cornea to correct myopia. This flattening focuses far objects onto the retina.

Hyperopia – Farsightedness and Correction

With hyperopia, objects focus beyond the retina. Farsightedness is due to a flat cornea or a shortened eye.
Plus lens glasses and contact lenses focus objects to correct hyperopia.
LASIK steepens the cornea to correct hyperopia. Steepening focuses objects onto the retina.

Astigmatism and Correction

With astigmatism, the cornea is oblong in shape. Light in different axes focuses at different places. This causes vision to be blurred.
Axis compensating glasses can correct astigmatism.
For astigmatism, laser reshapes one or more corneal axis. Most light now focuses on the retina and vision is clear.

Presbyopia and Correction

The lens in our eyes fine-focuses images onto the retina. Small ciliary muscles change the lens shape to focus. With age, these muscles lose their ability. Lens hardening may also occur. The lens can no longer change shape for close reading. This is called presbyopia.
Reading glasses are required to correct presbyopia. Multifocal lenses combine other corrections into one lens. These can be spectacles, contacts, or intraocular lenses.

Summary

Any changes to your vision should be brought to your eye care provider’s attention immediately.

Contact Us

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact us at:

The Eye clinic

Dr Swati Agarwal -The Eye Clinic
2A Motilal Basak lane
Kakurgachi
Kolkata, WB 700054
www.swatiagarwal.in
+91 9147714355
[email protected]

Important Note

This information is provided for general educational concepts only. Your specific circumstances, conditions, treatment approaches, and results may vary from those shown here. Additional information, instructions, and precautions are to be provided by and discussed with your eye care provider.