Differences between myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia

Vision is one of the most important senses in our daily lives, but not all eyes focus images in the same way. There are different refractive errors, which are alterations in how the eye directs light to the retina, causing blurred or distorted vision. The most common are myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Below, we explain what each of them consists of.

Myopia: difficulty seeing distant objects

Myopia is a refractive error that causes clear close-up vision but blurry long-distance vision. In other words, a nearsighted person can read without problems but has difficulty clearly seeing distant signs, signals, or faces.

• Cause: Myopia occurs when the eyeball is slightly longer than normal or the cornea has excessive curvature. As a result, the image is formed in front of the retina, instead of directly on it.
• Optical treatment: It is corrected with “divergent” lenses (negative power), either through glasses or contact lenses. In some cases, refractive laser surgery may be considered.
• Common symptoms: Squinting to focus on distant objects, headache, or eye strain, especially at the end of the day.

Hyperopia: blurry near vision

Hyperopia causes the opposite effect: distant vision is usually good, but near vision is blurry or uncomfortable. Hyperopic people may notice difficulty reading, using their mobile phone, or performing tasks that require close-up focus.

• Cause: The eye is shorter than usual, or the cornea is too flat, causing images to form behind the retina.
• Optical treatment: It is corrected with “convergent” lenses (positive power), using glasses or contact lenses adapted to each prescription.
• Common symptoms: Eye strain, feeling of tired eyes, and headache after prolonged periods of reading or close-up work.

Astigmatism: image distortion

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea—the transparent surface of the eye—has an irregular curvature. Instead of being perfectly spherical, it has a more oval shape, like a rugby ball. This causes light not to focus uniformly on the retina.

• Cause: Irregularity in the curvature of the cornea or, in some cases, the lens. The result is distorted or blurry vision at any distance, both near and far.
• Optical treatment: It is corrected with cylindrical lenses (glasses or toric contact lenses) that compensate for this difference in curvature.
• Common symptoms: Difficulty focusing, double or distorted vision of letters and lines, and eye strain.

Presbyopia: age-related farsightedness

Presbyopia, also known as "age-related farsightedness," naturally appears from 40–45 years of age. It is a consequence of the aging of the crystalline lens, the internal lens of the eye responsible for focusing objects at different distances.

• Cause: With age, the lens loses elasticity, and its ability to change shape (accommodate) decreases, making it difficult to focus on near objects.
• Optical treatment: It is corrected with reading glasses, progressive lenses, or multifocal contact lenses, depending on each person's visual needs.
• Common symptoms: Difficulty reading small print, needing to hold text further away, and a feeling of tiredness or blurriness after reading or using screens.

Take care of your visual health

Each of these refractive errors has its origin and specific treatment. Only a comprehensive eye exam performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist can accurately determine the appropriate correction for each person.

At Óptica Ciutadella and Ferreries, we conduct personalized visual studies, adapted to your lifestyle and needs, to offer you the best possible visual quality.