Blurry Vision? It Might be Refractive Error

www.southnassaueyecare.com/blurry-vision-can-be-warning-for-a-long-term-medical-condition/

Ever have blurry vision? That might be because your eyes have refractive errors-one of the most common eye problems that we face. This occurs when the shape of your eyeball, cornea or lens prevents light from correctly focusing on the retina. As a result, the brain cannot properly process clear signals, which in turn causes your vision to either become blurry or distorted. Even simple tasks such as reading, driving or recognizing people could become more difficult with refractive errors. Some of the most common symptoms include: the need to squint for clearer vision, strained eyes or seeing halos around bright lights. Symptoms can either be so mild that you would not notice much difference in your daily life, but it can worsen to a point where it actively interferes with your quality of life.

www.spokaneeye.com/specialties/adult-eye-care/comprehensive-eye-exams/vision-problems/

There are three main types of refractive errors: myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. First of all, myopia, otherwise known as nearsightedness, happens when the eyeball becomes too long or when the cornea/lens has too much curvature to it. Consequently, light which is supposed to land on the retina instead ends up in front of it, causing farther objects to seem more blurry while closer objects retain the same clarity. This is the most common type of refractive error, especially in children and teenagers nowadays. 

Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, is the exact opposite of myopia. Instead of being too long, the eyeball in this case is too short, or the cornea/lens is not curved enough. So, the light now ends up behind the retina. Closer objects become harder to see while far vision is less affected. Unlike myopia which develops in a person as they grow older, hyperopia is usually a condition that people are born with. While the less severe cases are ignored, the stronger cases require immediate attention in the form of corrective lenses early on. 

Lastly, astigmatism works a little bit differently from the previous two types of refractive errors. It is still related to the shape of the eyeball, but this time instead of length it is regarding the shape of the eyeball. The human eyeball can sometimes deviate from being a sphere and form an irregular shape similar to a football. What happens is that the uneven curvature of the cornea/lens makes the incoming light bend unevenly, so the person would suffer from both nearsightedness and farsightedness. Unlike myopia and hyperopia, astigmatism can either happen on its own or alongside them, and it can either be a birth condition or develop later on in one’s life.

Fortunately, being the most common eye problem, there are many ways to treat refractive errors. Typically, one might choose to get prescription glasses, which adjusts the light just enough for the light to land on the lens. Contact lenses are also getting more popular by the day, where there are options for soft lenses to be worn during the day or hard lenses for overnight. Finding a more permanent solution is also possible, with vision correction surgeries such as LASIK or PRK being able to completely eliminate refractive errors. However, refractive errors are not preventable since it is caused by the natural shape and growth of the eye, but regular eye exams to detect early problems can be helpful for finding the right solution. Thanks to the help of modern medical care, people with refractive errors can easily find help and maintain healthy vision.

---

Sources:

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24224-refractive-errors 

www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-

diseases/refractive-errors