If you rely on glasses or contact lenses in order to see objects either far away or up close, then you are described as having a refractive error.
A refractive error occurs when light that enters the eye falls in front of or behind the retina rather than on it creating blurred vision.
Most of the eye’s refractive power is located in the cornea, which is a transparent, dome-shaped layer located towards the front of the eye.
In a normal eye with perfect 20/20 vision, the cornea is a perfect spherical shape, but a refractive error indicates a misshapen cornea.
Myopia: In myopic eyes either the eye itself is too long or else the cornea is too steep which cause rays of light to fall short when they reach the back of your eye. Objects up close are perfectly clear but anything in the distance appears blurred, hence the term shortsightedness.
Hyperopia: In the case of hyperopic eyes or long-sightedness, the eye can be too short or else the cornea is too flat which contribute to light being focused beyond the retina. With hyperopia, far away objects are not an issue, but you have difficulty making out near objects.
Astigmatism: If your cornea isn’t spherical and is instead oval, then you have astigmatism, which usually manifests during childhood. Light cannot bend correctly and contribute to blurred vision. Sometimes astigmatism presents itself along with either myopia or hyperopia.
Laser Eye Surgery removes microscopic amounts of corneal tissue to either reduce or increase the gradient of you cornea so that light bend correctly and focus clear images onto the retina.
Because the exact amount of excess corneal tissue is removed, vision is immediately corrected and you can resume to your normal routine, usually after 24hours.
To find out more about your refractive error and to book your free consultation, call +353 1 223 8821.