Refraction Errors
Get to know your vision

A very common type of eye condition throughout the globe is refraction error. Most common types include myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism. Luckily, these are all easily treatable through corrective lenses in glasses or contact lenses. With this page, we want to inform you with facts about your vision.

What is a refraction error? Normally, light is bent in your eye to focus the image right on the retina. In a refraction error, the shape of your eye causes light to be bent incorrectly which results in blurry vision, headaches,eye strain, and other symptoms. 

Source: National Eye Institute

Source: National Eye Institute

Myopia (nearsightedness)

In myopia, the lens focuses the light incorrectly in front of the retina causing objects at a distance to be blurry and out of focus. Signs of myopia include eyestrain, blurry vision, and headaches. Some factors that could cause or worsen myopia include: greater time indoors, genetics, and doing activities and work that involve focusing on small objects.

Hyperopia (farsightedness)

Hyperopia is caused by a change in the shape of your retina causing light to focus behind it which makes seeing up close difficult. Your eyes will also have trouble adjusting between near and far causing eyestrains and headaches. One factor contributing to hyperopia is an abnormal eyeball shape.

Source: National Eye Institute

Source: National Eye Institute

Astigmatism (football eye)

Commonly known as a "football shaped eye," this is when the horizontal part of your eye has a stronger prescription than the vertical part of your eye. Ideally you should have a uniform prescription. Since you have two different prescriptions in one eye, your eyes does not see one clear image, instead it sees two images. Your eyes will try to bring those two images together throughout the day which will make your eyes tired and images blurry.

Presbyopia

Our lens grow bigger every year like layers of an onion. Eventually the lens grow big enough so that you cannot focus up close. This is why you need a stronger prescription to see up close.

Source: National Eye Institute