Eye Sight Conditions

Myopia and Short-Sightedness

Short-sightedness (myopia) occurs when light focusses before the retina causing distance vision to become blurred. Near vision, however, is usually clear. It normally develops during childhood or adolescence and is often first noticed when children struggle with board work at school. Spectacles may need to be worn all of the time or, in low myopia, just for driving, TV or sports.

Hypermetropia and Long-Sightedness

Long-sightedness (hypermetropia) occurs when light focusses behind the retina, so the eye has to make a compensating effort to re-focus. This can cause discomfort, headaches or problems with near vision. Spectacles may need to be worn all of the time or just for near tasks, such as reading, writing or computer use. For older people, the ability to re-focus becomes more difficult, so that distance vision may also become blurred.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the curvature of the cornea or lens is not perfectly spherical. A good way to understand this is to imagine that the eye is shaped like a rugby ball rather than a football. Most people have a small amount of astigmatism, which may not need correcting. However, if vision is blurred or headaches occur, we may recommend that glasses or contact lenses are worn all of the time or possibly just for specific tasks.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is the loss of the ability to focus that occurs naturally with age. In younger people, the lens is very flexible and the eye is able to focus from long distances to close up. As we get older, the lens slowly loses its flexibility causing a gradual decline in its ability to focus on closer objects.

Presbyopia is not a disease. It is a normal change that eventually affects everyone, whether you already wear spectacles or contact lenses or not. At around the age of 40-45, we begin to notice that we need to hold the newspaper further away or need stronger lighting to read small print. There is no benefit to delaying using reading glasses, or changing to bifocals or varifocals – they will not make the eyes lazy. Your John Harwood Optometrist can advise you on the best form of vision correction (reading spectacles, extended range lenses, bifocals, varifocals ( Varilux ), or contact lenses) to suit your individual lifestyle and occupation. You can learn more about these different options on our website.