Refractive errors are vision problems that happen when your eye does not refract (bend) light properly. When your cornea or lens does not focus light properly on the retina, your vision is blurry.
There are four basic refractive errors: myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (distorted or blurry vision at any distance) and presbyopia (loss of near vision with age). When light is not focused on the retina as it should be, your vision is blurry.
Refractive errors can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses and surgery. You and your ophthalmologist can discuss the best way to correct your refractive error.
