Common Eye Disorders
Common causes of poor vision
What exactly leads to vision loss and malfunction? Ideally, the eye focuses light entering through the cornea and the lens onto the retina, the sensitive membrane at the back of the eye that connects to the optic nerve. If malformations of the eye prevent the light entering the eye from correctly reflecting onto the retina, then poor vision is a result. Common causes of blurred vision (“refractive error”) generally involve the condition of the lens, the contour of the cornea, or the shape of the eye itself.
Myopia (nearsightedness)
The shape of a myopia eye causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than on it. Near objects are seen clearly, but distant objects are blurred.
Hyperopia (farsightedness)
The shape of the hyperopia eye causes light to focus behind the retina. Farsighted individuals see distant objects well, but near objects are blurred.
Astigmatism
The eye’s cornea normally has a uniformly rounded curvature, much like the surface of a ball. With the most common type of astigmatism, the cornea has a more oval, oblong contour that causes blurred vision because light passing through it tends to focus on more than one spot on the retina. Astigmatism can occur in combination with myopia and hyperopia, causing extensively more vision loss than either of those conditions alone.
Higher-order aberrations
Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism (“lower-order” aberrations) account for approximately 85% of refractive errors. “Higher-order” aberrations are more complex visual errors that may cause difficulties when driving at night because of glare and halos, and may be responsible for double vision or reduced contrast sensitivity. Higher-order aberrations generally cannot be detected during a standard eye exam. State-of-the-art wavefront technology identifies and maps these aberrations, making it possible to customize your LASIK treatment for better results.
Presbyopia
The eye’s natural lens flexes to focus on objects at near, intermediate, and far distances. As the eye matures, the lens loses its flexibility, making it increasingly difficult to change focus from distance to close-up activities like reading. This condition, called presbyopia, begins to appear at around age 40 and affects nearly everyone as they age.
Thinking about vision correction?
Are you ready to take the next step into a world of better vision, increased confidence, and improved quality of life? Obtaining vision correction services is never an easy decision to make, but the caring and professional ophthalmologists at Wise Eye Associates are here to make your treatment as simple and stress-free as possible.