Refractive Errors

The eye is like a camera. In a camera, light passes through a lens system back onto the film. The cornea and lens are at the front of the eye (anterior chamber) and are similar to a camera’s lens system. The retina is located at the back of the eye (posterior chamber) and is similar to the camera’s film. In the normal eye, light rays of an image pass through the cornea and the lens and are focused directly on the retina to produce a clear image.

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

In a myopic eye, the light rays are passed through the cornea and lens but the point at which they converge (focus) is in front of the retina, not on the retina. This configuration allows clear images of near objects but not those that are far away. Non-surgical treatment options for myopia include glasses and contact lenses. Surgical treatment options include ALK, clear lens extraction, LASEK, epi-LASIK, phakic IOL and RK. While there are numerous surgical options available, not all individuals are good candidates for specific procedures.