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Illustration of external and internal eye anatomy
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    • Services and providers for Refractive Errors in the U.S.
  • National Institutes of Health

Also called: Farsightedness, Hyperopia, Myopia, Nearsightedness

Your cornea is the clear front part of your eye. It is like a window that controls and focuses the light coming into the eye. If your cornea has an irregular shape, the light does not focus properly. Everything looks blurry. This is a refractive error.

Four common refractive errors are

  • Myopia, or nearsightedness - clear vision close up but blurry in the distance
  • Hyperopia, or farsightedness - clear vision in the distance but blurry close up
  • Presbyopia - inability to focus close up as a result of aging
  • Astigmatism - focus problems caused by the cornea

Glasses or contact lenses can usually correct refractive errors. Laser eye surgery may also be a possibility.

National Eye Institute

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