Many people who need glasses or contacts while they’re young have at least one of the three common vision problems. The most common vision problems are myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism which are refractive errors. Refractive errors mean that the shape of your eye prevents light from focusing directly on the retina which results in a blurred image.

Myopia

Myopia or also known as nearsightedness is a condition where objects up close appear clearly, but objects far away appear blurry. This happens when the eyeball itself is too long, or else when the cornea is too curve. When you are nearsighted, light comes to focus in front of the retina instead of on the retina.

You can correct myopia with prescription glasses or contacts to extend the light’s focus onto the retina where it belongs. They are typically thinner in the middle and have a negative prescription.

Common Vision Problems

Hyperopia

Hyperopia or also known as farsightedness is a condition where distant objects may be seen more clearly, but everything up close is blurry. Hyperopia is the opposite of myopia where instead of being too long, the eyeball is too short or else the cornea is too flat. When you are farsighted, light focuses behind the retina, making images blurry.

You can correct hyperopia with corrective lenses that are thicker in the middle and have a positive prescription.

Related Article: Sunglasses that Celebrities Wear

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a condition in which your eyes does not focus light evenly onto the retina. Meaning, light fails to come to a single focus on the retina to produce a clear vision instead of appearing blurry and stretched out.

You can correct astigmatism but it requires more complex lenses to correct compared to myopia and hyperopia. They are typically cylindrical rather than spherical.

When was the last time you had an eye exam? If it’s been awhile since your last eye exam, you should make an appointment with your optometrist. You can avoid common vision problems by visiting your optometrist to check the health of your eyes. A trip to the optometrist will ensure that your prescription is updated because these refractive errors can change and worsen over time.

Comments

comments