Are You Nearsighted, Farsighted, or Have Astigmatism?

Refractive disorders are the most common eye problems in America. Refractive errors consist of farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism. How are you able to prevent them and how do you live your life with these conditions?

Let’s begin with the basics:

Myopia or nearsightedness is when light that enters your eye gets refracted and comes to a point BEFORE your retina. This causes a blurry vision because it is not landing right on your retina. Patients with this condition are able to see up close but unable to see objects further away.

Hyperopia or farsightedness is when light that enters your eye gets refracted and comes to a point AFTER your retina. This allows for far away objects to be clear but objects at near to be blurry.

Astigmatism distorts both far and near objects so that objects appear skewed or out of focus.

Next, let’s Understand your Prescription:

On your prescription, there may be different numbers that indicate the degree of how farsighted, nearsighted, and how much astigmatism you may have. The numbers are in units of diopters. The higher the number, the deeper the amount of correction you need.

OD – means the right eye

OS – means the left eye

The first number on your prescription indicates your spherical correction.

A spherical negative number – indicates nearsightedness

A spherical positive number – indicates farsightedness

The second number on your prescription indicates the amount of astigmatism. And the third number on your prescription indicates the rotation of your astigmatism. 

Overall, all of these numbers can tell your optician your refractive status and the optician can then make suggestions on the type of lens that will allow you to see clearly.

Treatment Of Refractive Errors

The best way to decide how to correct your refractive errors is to first get an annual eye exam. Book online now to discuss treatment with our optometrist. Some patients may love the versatility of glasses and the fashion statement that comes with glasses. There are also daily contact lens options that allow patients to be glasses free. Contact lenses do require additional testing to find out the power, base curve, and diameter of the perfect lens for your eye. However, some patients may want a permanent method to correct their refractive power which may include surgical options such as LASIK, PRK, or a lens replacement. If you would like to see if you are a candidate for LASIK, please book an appointment with our office for a consultation. 

Prescriptions are only valid for 1 year so it is important to stay on top of your yearly comprehensive eye exams. This will allow you to have your sharpest vision and prevent you from common disorders that may disrupt your vision.

Still have questions about refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism? Call us or text us at 832-975-7020 or book an appointment with our online appointment books!