Refractive Problems
The human eye gives us the sense of sight, allowing us to learn more about the surrounding world than any of the other five senses. The eye allows us to see and interpret the shapes, colors and dimensions of objects by processing the light they reflect or give off.
The
cornea (the clear window on the front of the eye) and
the lens of the eye (the transparent structure inside the
eye) are both critical to normal vision. The
goal of these two lenses is to focus light onto a layer on the back of the eye
known as the retina. As light enters into the
eye it is focused by the cornea and the lens so that images appear clearly on
the retina. The retina then transmits these images to the brain where they are
processed.
If the images focus perfectly on
the retina, this results in 20/20
acuity; focusing in front or behind the retina results in
nearsightedness (myopia) or
farsightedness (hyperopia). If the cornea is shaped
like a football instead of a sphere, this is called
astigmatism. When any of these conditions
occurs, images are perceived by the brain as being blurry. The
refractive status means the eyeball is not the right size or the cornea/lens
does not have the right curve. Presbyopia is
a vision condition in which the lens loses its flexibility, making it difficult
to focus on close objects.
Amblyopia or lazy eye is often a result of a refractive problem or
strabismus.
Retinoscopy is a procedure in which a light is projected into your eye and the reflection is observed as the light is scanned across the retina. This reflection can be in the same or opposite direction of the scan. Depending on the setting of the retinoscope, the observed reflection motion can indicate myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism. Lenses can then be introduced. If there is no motion noted with the scanned reflection, the eye is said to be neutralized. (Retinoscopy Demo)
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Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
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