LASIK eye doctors in Orange County can recognize a refractive error, which is an alteration in the shape of the eye that leads vision to become blurred. The LASIK surgeon educates that refraction, or the bending of light, is what helps all of us to see.
When you look at an object, the light rays it reflects are refracted through the clear, outermost layer of the eye – known as the cornea – onto an inner lens. Then the lens focuses light onto the retina, a layer of light-sensitive tissue located at the back of the eye.
The retina changes patterns of light into electrical signals and transmits these signals to the brain through the optic nerve. In the brain, these signals are identified as images of the objects you notice all around you.
As Doctor Moosa, a LASIK eye surgery professional in Orange County says, a refractive error happens when the eye cannot bend and focus light correctly onto the retina. Vision may become blurry, hazy, or doubled, which results in a person having to squint and strain their eyes. Other usual symptoms include headaches because of the eyestrain or difficulties reading.
When it comes to children, the ophthalmologists confirm that a refractive error can affect a child’s reading level and have a negative impact on their overall learning. It can even result in permanent and uncorrectable degradation in vision, referred to as refractive amblyopia. When adults have a refractive error, they usually experience blurry vision, which can be very uncomfortable, inconvenient, and even unsafe, particularly when they have to drive or operate heavy machinery.
Ophthalmologists and LASIK eye doctors At Excel Laser Vision Institute can quickly ascertain the type of refractive error that is causing you vision loss.
Myopia
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is when a person can’t see distant objects clearly. When you have myopia, objects at a distance look blurred, making it a challenge to read a school blackboard or street signs. Myopia happens when refracted light is focused in front of the retina rather than onto the retina. This may happen if the eyeball has an extended shape or if the cornea has too much curvature.
Myopia is usually first discovered in childhood and is common to run in families. Most of the time, myopia worsens over the years throughout an individual’s school-age and adolescent years. Eventually, myopia balances itself out when the person is in their 20s.
Many people with myopia, particularly those younger than age 35, can see objects up close without any issues. Those who are older than the age of 35 may experience presbyopia too, which makes it challenging to see objects up close.
Hyperopia
Hyperopia, or farsightedness, happens when distant objects are easier to see clearly than nearby objects. If hyperopia is considerable, the person’s vision may be blurry at any distance. Hyperopia happens when light is refracted behind the retina rather than onto the retina. This may happen if the eyeball is too short or if there is too little curvature in the cornea.
Hyperopia can happen at any age. Sometimes children can experience slight hyperopia that corrects itself by the time they are adolescents.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is blurred vision that is caused by an unusually shaped cornea. When a person has astigmatism, the cornea is shaped very similar to a football or an egg instead of a sphere.
When light hits an eye with astigmatism, it gets distorted and refracted to many focus points within the eye rather than on one focus point on the retina. Normally, people with astigmatism have issues seeing objects close up and far away.
Astigmatism can be categorized into two types: regular, in which the eyeball is not spherical but is symmetrical, and then there is irregular, which means the eyeball is not spherical and not symmetrical.
Regular astigmatism is a lot more usual than irregular astigmatism.
Sometimes people are born with astigmatism, and children are usually diagnosed with this refractive error. It usually affects both eyes. There are instances when only one eye is affected – such as an eye injury such as a cut or puncture that results in a scar on the cornea. Also, astigmatism may be caused by a condition known as keratoconus, which is when the cornea thins and starts to bulge outward.
Presbyopia
As you get older, you may realize that your ability to focus up close, especially as you read, gets worse. Presbyopia occurs to many people at some point after the age of 40 since the eyes’ lenses, which focus light, slowly lose their ability to change their shape to let you focus on nearby objects.
Presbyopia and macular degeneration are not the same. Macular degeneration occurs when the macula, located near the center of the retina, is damaged. It usually happens in individuals who are older than 70 and causes blurriness in the central field of vision when you look at objects that are close up or far away.
On the other hand, presbyopia only changes the lens of the eye and causes the whole field of vision to blur when you try to focus on something up close.
Only a thorough examination by an ophthalmologist or optometrist can identify common age-related changes in the eye, such as presbyopia and changes in vision-related to macular degeneration.
If you have any other questions or concerns about refractive errors, contact Excel Laser Vision Institute at (888) 957-3255. Our team of staff is highly trained and experienced. In the office, we also have Dr. Moosa, a well-esteemed LASIK surgeon in Orange County that has a Harvard education and lots of experience working with different prescription levels. Dr. Moosa has helped many professionals achieve their vision goals, from athletes to models to military personnel. Visit our website to learn more: https://www.exceleye.com/.
