Common Visual Problems
What’s making your vision blurry?
Your eye shape and cornea are the keys to better vision. When light enters the eye, it’s bent (refracted) by the cornea, which acts like a lens to focus incoming light onto the retina. When that focus lands in the wrong place, vision blurs.
The four most common conditions
Each one comes down to where light focuses in your eye, and each one is well understood, with clear treatment paths.
Myopia
Nearsightedness
Your eye is too long and/or your cornea is excessively steep, so light focuses at a point in front of the retina instead of on it.
The result: distant objects appear blurry, while near objects appear clear.
Hyperopia
Farsightedness
Your eye is too short or your cornea is excessively flat, so light focuses at a point behind the retina.
The result: near objects appear blurry while distant objects appear clear, and in some cases blurriness at both distances.
Astigmatism
An unevenly shaped cornea
Instead of being spherical like a basketball, your cornea is shaped more like a football, so light can’t converge into a single focused image.
The result: distorted or blurry vision at any distance. Astigmatism can occur alone or alongside nearsightedness or farsightedness.
Presbyopia
Age-related near focus loss
The eye’s internal lens gradually loses its ability to focus up close, a normal change that usually becomes apparent in your forties. Laser vision correction dramatically improves distance vision, but most people will still need glasses for close-up activities, particularly as they get older.
The options: reading glasses, multifocal lenses, or surgical remedies like monovision LASIK for qualified candidates, discussed at your eye exam.