Understanding Vision

Hyperopia or farsightedness is the term used to describe an eye that can focus on objects that are further away, but has a very difficult time seeing clearly objects which are close. In the hyperopic eye, the length of the eye from the cornea back to the retina is shorter than normal, which prevents the crystalline lens in the eye from focusing the image correctly on the retina. Studies and statistics vary, but most indicate that about 25% of the population has some degree of hyperopia. Hyperopic patients must consider more routine eye examinations because as a shorter eye than normal, they also share a higher risk for glaucoma and other...more

The myopic or “nearsighted” patient can see objects clearly at a near distance, but when objects are further away they become blurred and out of focus. Myopia is usually associated with your eyes at birth and most consider it a genetic disorder of vision. However, it is sometimes can develop in early adulthood. If you work at very close distances, you can over time develop a myopic condition in your vision. The myopic eye is at higher risk for retinal detachment and is another reason that myopic patients should take their annual examinations seriously throughout their adult life. Although rare, the retinal detachment rates are still under...more

As a person reaches the ages of 40 to 45, they usually develop a condition called presbyopia. This condition is caused from the aging process inside the eye and there is nothing you can do to stop the process. Even if you have never had an issue with your eyesight and vision, you will eventually reach a state of presbyopia. Presbyopia is the condition where the eye can no longer focus on objects near the eye. Presbyopic patients have a difficult time reading the newspaper without reading glasses or contact lenses. Most patients believe that this condition happens “all of a sudden” but in fact it happens over a long extended time. The...more

Astigmatism is a condition where the cornea is irregularly shaped, causing the eye to focus an object on two different points within the camera system of the eye. The retina is like the camera film in the eye and with astigmatism, the vision is impaired as the images from two different images are attempted to be focused at the same time. The normal cornea is dome-shaped, like a basketball and bends light equally across the entire surface of the corneal lens. Astigmatic corneas are shaped more like a football. With a distorted cornea shaped like a football, the image the patient sees is distorted into a longer shape in one plane vs. the...more

When an eye provides a camera system for the patient that focuses all light perfectly on the retina, the eye is said to be emmetropic. Emmetropia is the condition of perfect 20/20 vision and is the ultimate goal of every patient and our doctor. Unfortunately, not all eyes we were born with can achieve this goal without some form of correction, or other vision aid or surgery. That is our goal at Sioux Falls Family Vision for all our patients who have solid health and wellness already going for them. Only a vision examination will determine if becoming emmetropic is a realistic goal for you....more