Refractive Errors
Refractive errors exist when the eye’s curvature is poorly matched to the length of the eye. This means light rays cannot focus properly on the retina.
Vision correction surgeries work by changing the shape of the front surface of the eye with a precise laser (LASIK or PRK), or placing an artificial lens inside the eye to improve the focus (implantable contact lens surgery or refractive lensectomy).These surgeries allow light to focus on the retina, producing clear images.
Common Problems Correctable with Vision Surgery
- Nearsightedness (myopia): Your vision close up is better than your vision far away.
- Farsightedness (hyperopia): Your vision far away is better than your vision close up. You often need reading glasses. As hyperopic patients get older, glasses are usually required for both distance and nearsightedness.
- Astigmatism: Blurring that occurs when the shape of the front of the eye, or sometimes the lens, is shaped more like a football than a basketball. This uneven shape can causes light rays to focus on many points in the eye, blurring both your near and far vision.
- Presbyopia: When your eyes slowly lose the ability to see things close up. Symptoms typically begin in your early 40s and continue to progress for the next 6 - 10 years. Reading glasses or bifocals may help. Refractive surgery or contact lenses can be used to correct one eye for near vision and one eye for distance (called monovision).