Common eye conditions

This is a listing of some of the more common eye conditions. Refraction errors are disorders that glasses and contact lenses can make clearer.

Myopia

Commonly referred to as nearsightedness, myopia is effectively when the eye is too strong, focusing the light from far away in front of instead of onto the retina. The light landing on the retina is coming out of focus, creating a blurry image.

Hyperopia

Frequently call farsightedness, it is the opposite of myopia. The eye is not strong enough. The light from afar has not yet come into focus by the time it reaches the retina resulting in a blurry image.

Presbyopia

This is when the lens in the eye gets firm from normal aging and can no longer focus up close. It typically impacts patients between their late 30s and early 50s.

Astigmatism

This is by far the most confusing of the “refractive errors.” Astigmatism is simply when light doesn’t all focus to one point. Unlike focusing the sun with a magnifier to burn leaves, there is no point where an astigmatic lens will have a perfect point focus. It needs to be offset with equal, but opposite corrective lenses. Astigmatism is actually quite common. Nearly every patient seen in an eye doctor’s office will have at least a small amount. When it is high, specialty contact lenses are required to achieve the proper clarity.