Condition Lookup
Category:
Refractive Errors
Number of Conditions: 4
Myopia (Nearsightedness)
Specialty: Ophthalmology
Category: Refractive Errors
Symptoms:
blurry distance vision; squinting; eye strain; headaches
Root Cause:
Light focuses in front of the retina due to an elongated eyeball or overly curved cornea.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Eye exam using a phoropter and Snellen chart.
Treatment:
Corrective lenses (glasses or contact lenses), Laser surgeries: LASIK, PRK, or SMILE.
Medications:
No medications; corrective lenses, orthokeratology, or atropine eye drops (low-dose atropine is used experimentally to slow progression).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects approximately 30% of the global population; rising prevalence among children and young adults due to increased near-work activities.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Family history, prolonged screen time, limited outdoor activities.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Correctable with glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery; progression often stabilizes in adulthood.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Risk of retinal detachment, glaucoma, and myopic macular degeneration in severe cases.
Hyperopia (Farsightedness)
Specialty: Ophthalmology
Category: Refractive Errors
Symptoms:
blurry close vision; difficulty reading; eye strain; headaches
Root Cause:
Light focuses behind the retina due to a shorter-than-normal eyeball or flat cornea.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Refraction test and visual acuity assessment.
Treatment:
Corrective lenses (glasses or contact lenses), Laser surgeries: LASIK or PRK.
Medications:
No medications; corrective lenses or surgical correction (e.g., LASIK).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects 5–10% of adults; more common in children and older adults due to lens changes.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Family history, smaller eyeball size, age-related lens changes.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Often manageable with corrective lenses or surgery; may improve in children as the eye grows.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Eye strain, amblyopia in children, and increased risk of angle-closure glaucoma.
Astigmatism
Specialty: Ophthalmology
Category: Refractive Errors
Symptoms:
blurry or distorted vision at all distances; eye strain; headaches
Root Cause:
Irregular curvature of the cornea or lens prevents proper focusing of light on the retina.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Corneal topography and refraction tests.
Treatment:
Corrective lenses (glasses or toric contact lenses), Laser surgeries: LASIK or PRK.
Medications:
No medications; corrective lenses or surgical correction (e.g., LASIK).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects about 1 in 3 people worldwide, often combined with myopia or hyperopia.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Family history, injury or surgery affecting the cornea, keratoconus.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Easily correctable with glasses, contacts, or surgery; may worsen without treatment.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Blurred vision, headaches, and eye strain.
Presbyopia
Specialty: Ophthalmology
Category: Refractive Errors
Symptoms:
difficulty focusing on nearby objects; holding reading materials farther away
Root Cause:
The lens loses elasticity with age, reducing its ability to focus on nearby objects.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Refraction test and near vision testing.
Treatment:
Reading glasses or bifocals, Multifocal contact lenses, Corneal inlays or lens replacement surgery.
Medications:
No medications; corrective lenses, surgical correction, or presbyopia-correcting eye drops (e.g., Pilocarpine , brand Vuity).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Universal after age 40, affecting nearly everyone by their 50s.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Aging, hyperopia, and certain systemic conditions (e.g., diabetes).
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Manageable with glasses, contacts, or surgical options.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Reduced ability to perform close tasks like reading.