Common vision issues: What to know
Not all blurry vision can be caused by one thing only. There are four main sources of eye issues, which you can explore below.
What is myopia, or short-sightedness?
Short-sightedness, or myopia, is a very common vision problem that can usually be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. If you’re short-sighted (myopic), your vision is clear when you look at things up close, but objects that are further away are out of focus or blurred
Causes of short-sightedness
Short-sightedness is usually caused when your eye is too long from front to back, or your cornea is too powerful for the length of the eye. Light focuses in front of the retina, making distant objects appear blurred.
You can develop short-sightedness at any age, but it usually starts around childhood or in the early teens. You're more likely to develop it if one or both of your parents are also short-sighted.
Spending a lot of time focusing your eyes on nearby objects, such as reading, writing and hand-held devices (phones and tablets) as well as computers can also increase your risk of developing short-sightedness. Spending time playing outside as a child may help reduce the onset of becoming short-sighted.1
What is hyperopia, or long-sightedness?
Long-sightedness, or hyperopia (orig. hypermetropia), is a common vision problem that can normally be corrected with contact lenses or glasses. If you are long-sighted (hyperopic), you can see objects clearly at a distance but find it hard to focus on things close to you. As people with long-sightedness get older, seeing at a distance can become more difficult as well. In cases of high hyperopia, it can be difficult to focus on objects at any distance.
Causes of long-sightedness
Long-sightedness is caused when the eye is too short from front to back, or the cornea’s curve is not powerful enough for the eye. Light is focused behind the retina instead of on it, resulting in blurred vision.
Some children are born long-sighted, and their vision can correct itself as their eyes develop, however they should be examined by an eye care professional to ensure that this is the case and it isn’t causing the child any other problems.
Long-sightedness shouldn't be confused with presbyopia, which makes focusing at close distance difficult as a result of the lens inside our eye becoming less flexible, which happens as we grow older.
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What is astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a very common eye condition that can affect one or both eyes. Astigmatism can result in blurred or distorted vision at all distances. It can affect people at any age and often people with astigmatism are either short-sighted or long-sighted too.
What is presbyopia?
Presbyopia is difficulty in seeing up close that begins to affect everyone around the age of 40.
As you age your eyes' ability to focus easily on nearer objects is affected. This happens because the lens inside the eye progressively loses some flexibility, which is called presbyopia.
Causes of presbyopia
Presbyopia happens due to a change with the lens inside the eye, as it naturally becomes thicker and stiffens over time. To alter our focus from near to far and back again, the shape of the lens within our eye changes. As the lens thickens and loses flexibility with age, its ability to change its shape reduces. It typically starts in our forties but can happen earlier or later for some.
Footnotes
All ACUVUE® contact lenses have UV Blocking to help provide protection against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye. UV absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV absorbing eyewear such as UV absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV absorbing eyewear as directed by your eye care professional.
1. Walline J, Myopia control – a review. ECL 2016; 42 (1):3-8
2. FR 24%: Dorian TRICARD, Quentin Dufour, Simon Marillet, Pierre Ingrand, Alexandre DUCLOUX, Nicolas Leveziel; Myopia in children: multicentric national data from French opticians. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2020;61(7):73
UK 23%: McCullough SJ, O'Donoghue L, Saunders KJ. Six Year Refractive Change among White Children and Young Adults: Evidence for Significant Increase in Myopia among White UK Children. PLoS One. 2016 Jan 19;11(1)
CF: PP2023OTH4816
Important Information for Contact Lens Wearers: ACUVUE® Contact Lenses can be used for vision correction. An Eye Care Professional will determine whether contact lenses are right for you. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. To help avoid these problems, follow the wear and replacement schedule and instructions on proper lens care. Do not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection, any eye disease or systemic disease, that may affect the eye, or if you are allergic to any ingredients. If you experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems, remove the lens and contact your Eye Care Professional immediately. For more information, including warnings and precautions, read the Instructions for Use available