Eye Anatomy

Cornea - The cornea is the transparent dome shaped outermost layer of the eye. Along with the lens, it refracts or bends light into focus on the retina. The cornea provides about 65 percent of the eye's total focusing power.

Lens - The lens is located behind the iris wihitn the eye. It bends light rays so that they form a clear image at the back of the eye – on the retina. The lens is flexible into middle age, allowing it to change shape and focus ojects at different disatnces,

Retina - The retina is the light-sensitive inner lining of the back of the eye. It works much like the film in a camera. Light rays enter the eye and are focused on the retina by the cornea and lens. The retina creates an image which is sent along the optic nerve for the brain to interpret.

Common Vision Problems

Myopia (Nearsighted) - Nearsightedness occurs if your eye is shaped in such a way that images are projected in front of the retina instead of on the retina. This can occur if your eyeball is a little longer than normal or if your cornea is steeper than normal

Myopic eyes see close-up objects more clearly than those that are far away. This can cause eye strain because your eyes have to work harder in order to focus. Also, myopic eyes have an increased risk for glaucoma or retinal detachment.

Hyperopia (Far-sighted) - Farsightedness occurs if your eye is shaped in such a way that images are projected behind your retina instead of on the retina. This can occur if your eyeball is a little smaller than normal or if your cornea is flatter than normal.

Hyperopic eyes see far away objects more clearly than objects that are close-up. Symptoms vary from person to person; your eyes may feel strained, you may get headaches when reading, and/or close objects may seem blurry.

Astigmatism - Astigmatism occurs when the eye has a football shape rather than a basketball shape. Objects appear fuzzy and out-of-focus regardless of whether the object is near, a medium distance, or far away. Everyone has a small amount of astigmatism, but for some people it is severe enough to significantly affect their ability to see clearly.

Presbyopia - Presbyopia is an age-related condition in which the lens of the eye and the muscles that control the lens focusing become more rigid resulting in the need for reading glasses or bifocals. Eyes with presbyopia find it hard to focus on closer objects. Presbyopia onsets around age 40 and progresses as time goes on.