What is the difference between refractive error and nearsightedness?

Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 08, 2024
00:00
00:00

Myopia is a type of refractive error, which refers to the condition where, when the eye is not adjusting, parallel light rays after passing through the refractive action of the eye, do not form a clear image on the retina, but rather image in front of or behind the retina. This includes hyperopia, myopia, and astigmatism. When parallel light rays image in front of the retina after passing through the eye's refractive action, it is called myopia.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Hu Shu Fang
Ophthalmology
57sec home-news-image

Is refractive error in children a serious issue?

Refractive errors in children should catch the attention of parents. Some minor refractive errors may not affect a child's vision or visual development, but as they grow older and their studies become more demanding, if these errors are not corrected at the appropriate time, the myopia in some children can deepen quickly. If some children are hyperopic, a high degree of hyperopia can affect their visual development, causing strabismus and amblyopia. Some children with low degrees of astigmatism, which do not affect visual development, can just have regular check-ups. However, for high degrees of astigmatism, if a child cannot correct their vision to the best possible level or to the level of normal children their age, glasses should be prescribed to improve their vision.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zheng Xin
Ophthalmology
34sec home-news-image

Refractive errors should include:

Refractive errors include myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia. Myopia can be divided into refractive myopia and axial myopia. Hyperopia can also be categorized based on the state of accommodation into manifest hyperopia, latent hyperopia, and total hyperopia. Astigmatism is divided into simple hyperopic astigmatism, simple myopic astigmatism, compound myopic astigmatism, compound hyperopic astigmatism, and mixed astigmatism.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Fang
Ophthalmology
52sec home-news-image

Refractive error refers to an eye disorder.

There are several clinical manifestations of refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism, all of which fall under the category of refractive errors. The normal adult eye axis is approximately 24mm, and patients with refractive errors have eye axis measurements that are greater or less than this value, which prevents images from being clearly presented on the retina. In patients with myopia, images generally appear in front of the retina, while in patients with hyperopia, images typically appear behind the retina. Various types of refractive errors can be corrected by wearing glasses to improve vision, enabling patients to see clearly. Additionally, patients with myopia and astigmatism can also consider laser surgery treatment after reaching adulthood.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
59sec home-news-image

How to treat refractive errors of the eyes?

Refractive error refers to the condition where, without accommodation, parallel light rays passing through the refractive media of the eye do not form a clear image on the retina, but rather form an image in front of or behind the retina. This includes hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), and astigmatism. For myopia treatment, light to moderate myopia can be corrected with appropriate concave lenses; in cases of hyperopia, if vision is normal and there are no subjective symptoms, no treatment is needed. However, if there are symptoms of visual fatigue, appropriate convex lenses should be used for correction; astigmatism requires the correction with cylindrical lenses.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Fang
Ophthalmology
1min home-news-image

Refractive amblyopia can be cured

Refractive amblyopia, most cases can be cured. Most refractive amblyopia is associated with hyperopia, accompanied by amblyopia, caused by abnormal fetal development in the womb, and the specific cause is unknown. If amblyopia in children can be detected between the ages of three to five and treated in a timely manner, most cases can be cured with a good prognosis. Treatment before the age of eight has better outcomes; treatment between 8-12 years old is less effective; there is no way to treat after age 12. The principle of treating amblyopic children is based on medical optometric prescription combined with effective amblyopia training, which primarily includes threading beads, puzzles, or using amblyopia treatment devices, etc. After amblyopia is cured, follow-up is required for three years to prevent recurrence.