Refractive Errors/Eye Glasses/Contact Lenses
What is a refractive error? Refractive error means the shape of your eyes does not bend light correctly resulting in blurred vision. The 4 main types of refractive errors are myopia (nearsightednes), hyperopia (farsightednes), presbyopia (the loss of the ability to see near) and astigmatism.
Symptoms:
- Blurred vision.
- Difficulty reading, seeing up close or in the distance.
Types:
Myopia or nearsightedness:
Very commonly inherited and usually discovered in the teenage years. Close objects are clear and distant objects are blurry.
Hyperopia (farsightedness):
Close objects are more blurry than distant objects.
Farsightedness.
Astigmatism:
Usually occurs from unequal curvature of the cornea. In other words, the meridians of the cornea have different curvatures. This causes objects to appear to be doubled. This astigmatism is often present in combination with myopia and hyperopia.
Presbyopia:
Natural aging of the lens of the eye.
After the age of 40, the lens of the eye becomes more rigid and does not move as easily. This is the reason why people with excellent distant vision often need reading glasses in their mid 40s.
Treatment:
Refractive error can be corrected with either glasses or contact lenses or LASIK. Dr. Zimm specializes in the surgical correction of myopia, hyperopia, stigmatism and presbyopia through the use of an advanced VISX laser system. All Saints Eye Center has the most advanced VISX laser system.
