Philip Walsh - How does your eye shape affect your vision?

Compromised eyesight can sometimes be due to the shape of the cornea. Your eyes focus light as it passes through the cornea, hitting the retina and allowing you to see. When the eye (cornea)  is misshapen or the eyeball us too short/long it can cause a refractive error of the light and impair your vision. The conditions that result from this are known as myopia, also known as short sightedness,  hyperopia, or  lonsightedness and astigmatism.

Myopia

This is the most common refractive problem globally. With myopia, eyes are typically longer than normal, which causes the light to come into focus before it reaches the retina and sight to be blurred. Myopia usually means objects close to you appear clear and those far away are blurry.

Hyperopia

The reverse, hyperopia is caused by the eyes being shorter than usual. Blurred sight is caused by light entering the eye coming into focus after it has reached the retina. Hyperopia can mean objects close to you appear blurry and those far away are clearer.

These vision impairments can be managed by corrective lenses or contact lenses, or laser eye surgery that changes the shape of the cornea to focus the light on the retina.

To purchase corrective lenses or contact lenses and see clearly, get in touch with the team at your local Specsavers or visit www.specsavers.co.nz.

About Philip 

Philip is an experienced optometrist with a Bachelor of Optometry from Auckland University. He’s worked in the UK, Zimbabwe and is now the Optometrist Director at the Specsavers New Lynn store in Auckland, one of 52 Specsavers stores across the country. 

Improving access for all Kiwis to high-quality eye care and eyewear is Philip’s passion. What he loves about his role at Specsavers is providing all his patients with excellent customer service and professional eye care with the latest technology and knowledgeable well-trained staff. 

www.specsavers.co.nz