The most common vision problems are not caused by disease, but by an abnormally shaped eye that doesn’t refract (bend) light properly and causes blurred vision.

The most common types of vision problems are:

Myopia (nearsightedness)
A myopic eye is longer than normal or has a cornea that is too steep, so that the light rays focus in front of the retina. Close objects are clear, but distant objects look blurry.

Hyperopia (farsightedness)
A hyperopic eye is shorter than normal. Light from close objects cannot focus clearly on the retina.

Astigmatism (distorted vision)
A normal cornea is round like a basketball. Astigmatism is caused when the cornea curves more in one direction than in the other—like a football. This distorts or blurs vision for both near and far objects. It is possible to have astigmatism and myopia or hyperopia.

Presbyopia (an aging eye)
Around age 40, you may begin to find that your near vision is not as good as it was and that you have to hold print materials farther from you face to read them. This is often the first sign of psesbyopia—age-related loss of the ability to see close up.

If your vision blurs when you are looking at objects near or far, you should get a complete eye exam with an ophthalmologist. These common refractive errors are just one potential cause of blurred vision, so it is important to have an examination right away if you are experiencing symptoms.

There are several alternatives for correcting your vision. You should discuss your vision and your lifestyle with your Eye M.D. to decide whether glasses, contacts, or refractive surgery (such as LASIK) is best for you.