Passionate about Healthcare? Join our team and help us shape a healthier tomorrow!

Health Library

Refractive Errors

Refractive Errors

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

National Eye Institute

Related Issues

Find an Expert

Children

Start Here

Patient Handouts

Specifics

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Treatments and Therapies

Encyclopedia

Images

Genetics

Diagnosis and Tests

Prevention and Risk Factors

Reference Desk

Journal Articles