Refractive Errors (original) (raw)

Also called: Farsightedness, Hyperopia, Myopia, Nearsightedness

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Summary

The cornea and lens of your eye helps you focus. Refractive errors are vision problems that happen when the shape of the eye keeps you from focusing well. The cause could be the length of the eyeball (longer or shorter), changes in the shape of the cornea, or aging of the lens.

Four common refractive errors are:

• Myopia, or nearsightedness - clear vision close up but blurry in the distance
• Hyperopia, or farsightedness - clear vision in the distance but blurry close up
• Presbyopia - inability to focus close up as a result of aging
• Astigmatism - focus problems caused by the cornea

The most common symptom is blurred vision. Other symptoms may include double vision, haziness, glare or halos around bright lights, squinting, headaches, or eye strain.

Glasses or contact lenses can usually correct refractive errors. Laser eye surgery may also be a possibility.

NIH: National Eye Institute

Start Here

• Eye Exam and Vision Testing Basics (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish

• Retinoscopy (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

• Vision Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

• What Are Dilating Eye Drops? (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

• Get a Dilated Eye Exam (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish

• Astigmatism (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

• Corneal Conditions (National Eye Institute)

• Presbyopia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

• Progressive (High) Myopia (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

• Eye Health Data and Statistics (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish

• How the Eyes Work (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish

• Anisometropia (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

• Farsightedness (Hyperopia) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)

• Nearsightedness (Myopia) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

• Photoscreening (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

• Refractive Errors in Children (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

• Treatment of Increasing Myopia in Children (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

• Your Child's Vision (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

• Astigmatism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Farsightedness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Nearsightedness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Presbyopia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Refraction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish