How to treat refractive errors of the eyes?

Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 11, 2024
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Refractive error refers to the condition where, without accommodation, parallel light rays passing through the refractive media of the eye do not form a clear image on the retina, but rather form an image in front of or behind the retina. This includes hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), and astigmatism. For myopia treatment, light to moderate myopia can be corrected with appropriate concave lenses; in cases of hyperopia, if vision is normal and there are no subjective symptoms, no treatment is needed. However, if there are symptoms of visual fatigue, appropriate convex lenses should be used for correction; astigmatism requires the correction with cylindrical lenses.

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Written by Hu Shu Fang
Ophthalmology
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What is refractive error?

Refractive errors in ophthalmology include myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The optical principle behind these is that parallel light rays, after passing through the optical system of the eyeball, do not focus on the retina, and therefore do not form a clear image. This condition is known as a refractive error. In everyday life, some people mistakenly believe that presbyopia is also a refractive error, but presbyopia is not a refractive error; it is a physiological condition. The common refractive errors are the three types I just mentioned: myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.

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Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
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Is refractive amblyopia easy to treat?

Early detection, treatment, and training for refractive amblyopia can potentially restore normal vision, but the extent of recovery varies from person to person. Since the principles behind various amblyopia treatment methods differ and have their advantages, comprehensive therapy is superior to single therapy. For a child with amblyopia in one eye, the routine initially involves covering the healthy eye to give the amblyopic eye more focused exercise, combined with precise visual acuity training, stimulation from amblyopia treatment devices, and so forth. After months or years of treatment, the child's vision in the amblyopic eye will show significant and rapid improvement.

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Written by Zheng Xin
Ophthalmology
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Refractive errors should include:

Refractive errors include myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia. Myopia can be divided into refractive myopia and axial myopia. Hyperopia can also be categorized based on the state of accommodation into manifest hyperopia, latent hyperopia, and total hyperopia. Astigmatism is divided into simple hyperopic astigmatism, simple myopic astigmatism, compound myopic astigmatism, compound hyperopic astigmatism, and mixed astigmatism.

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Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
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What glasses should be worn for refractive errors?

Refractive errors include myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, astigmatism, and amblyopia. If it is myopia, concave lenses should be used; convex lenses are used for hyperopia; astigmatism requires cylindrical lenses. If it is strabismus, the appropriate prism should be used. In the case of amblyopia, pupil dilation, optometry, and fitting glasses should be performed, along with active amblyopia treatment. When these conditions occur, proper eye care should be maintained, including adequate rest, reducing close-up activities, avoiding eye strain, regularly revisiting the doctor, and frequent checks and corrections for vision are necessary.

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Written by Hu Shu Fang
Ophthalmology
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Is refractive error in children a serious issue?

Refractive errors in children should catch the attention of parents. Some minor refractive errors may not affect a child's vision or visual development, but as they grow older and their studies become more demanding, if these errors are not corrected at the appropriate time, the myopia in some children can deepen quickly. If some children are hyperopic, a high degree of hyperopia can affect their visual development, causing strabismus and amblyopia. Some children with low degrees of astigmatism, which do not affect visual development, can just have regular check-ups. However, for high degrees of astigmatism, if a child cannot correct their vision to the best possible level or to the level of normal children their age, glasses should be prescribed to improve their vision.