Refractive Eye Disorders

Many people are affected with at least some form of refractive eye disorder at some point of life that prevents them to see clearly. My goal in creating this website is to help those people and everyone else interested to learn more and understand better these conditions that seriously affect the quality of life.

Refraction is bending of light rays. Our eyes have precise optical elements that bend light rays and focus them on the retina of an eye. Light rays must be focused perfectly on the retina in order to see clearly. Eye with optical ability to focus parallel light rays from infinity directly on retina is called emmetropic. [Read more about Refraction]

Accommodation is the ability of an eye to change it's refractive power. Light rays coming to an eye from distant objects are normally focused on the retina, but light rays coming from short distances would be focused behind retina if it weren't for accommodation. [Read more about Accommodation]

Refractive Eye Disorders are conditions where optical elements of an eye are unable to focus light rays on the retina which results in blurry vision. Eyes with some form of refractive disorder are called ametropic. Most common refractive eye disorders are:

Nearsightedness - Myopia
Farsightedness - Hypermetropia
Astigmatism
Aging vision - Presbyopia

Nearsightedness is refractive eye disorder where distant objects cannot be seen clearly, while closer objects are seen more, or less clearly. In nearsightedness optical elements of an eye focus light rays comming from distance in front of retina. The result is blurry image formed on retina. [Read more about Nearsightedness]

Farsightedness is refractive disorder where distant objects are seen more or less clearly, while close objects are seen with difficulty. In farsightedness optical elements of an eye focus light rays behind retina. While in nearsightedness eye is unable to correct defect, in farsightedness cilliary muscle of an eye is able to correct more or less this defect and focus light rays on the retina. [Read more about Farsightedness]

Astigmatism is a refractive disorder with blurry vision caused by irregular shape of cornea or lens. The refractive power in one meridian of cornea or lens is greater than that of the perpendicular meridian which results in losing focus. Instead of one focus point, there are two focal lines. Person with astigmatism have difficulty in seeing fine detail. [Read more about Astigmatism]

Aging vision, or presbyopia is a refractive disorder caused by the eye's reduced ability to focus objects at various distances. It is more a disorder of accommodation and affects nearly everyone at certain age. It is usually noticed between 40 and 50 years of age and slowly progresses. [Read more about Aging vision]