Refractive Errors

A refractive error is an error when focusing light, this is the most common reason of reduced visual acuity (poor or blurry vision). There are many type of refractive errors, however the three most common are myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.

Myopia

Myopia or nearsightedness, occurs when the cornea is too curved or the eye is too long. This causes light to focus in front of the retina, resulting in blurry distance vision

Hyperopia

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, occurs when the cornea is too flat in relation to the length of the eye. This causes light to focus at a point beyond the retina, resulting in blurry close vision.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is more curved in one direction than the other. This causes light to focus on more than one point on the retina, resulting in blurry and distorted vision.