September 2024 Newsletter: Uncorrected Refractive Errors

Carisa Gorpas
Apr 14
3 min read

Updated: Jun 28

When the World Looks Blurry

Imagine trying to read a sign across the street or focus on your teacher’s notes—only to see a blur. For millions of people, that’s a daily reality. Uncorrected refractive errors are incredibly common, and they’re one of the top reasons people struggle with vision around the world. In fact, according to global estimates, over 150 million people live with these conditions without proper correction.

At their core, refractive errors just mean the eye isn’t bending light the right way. It’s not a disease, and it doesn’t mean something is "wrong" with the eye structurally. It just means that light isn’t landing exactly where it needs to on the retina, which causes things to look out of focus.

Types of Refractive Errors

There are a few different ways this can show up:

Nearsightedness (Myopia): You can see things up close, but things in the distance look blurry.
Farsightedness (Hyperopia): Distant objects are clearer, but reading or close-up work is harder.
Astigmatism: Vision is blurred at all distances because the eye’s surface isn’t perfectly round.
Presbyopia: This one shows up with age—usually around your 40s—when it becomes harder to focus on close objects.

Why It Matters

It’s easy to brush off vision issues, especially when they seem small. But they can quietly affect so much—school performance, driving safety, even your mood and confidence. A child might get labeled as distracted or struggling academically, when really they just can’t see the board. Adults may deal with daily headaches or frustration at work without realizing their vision is to blame. In many parts of the world, something as simple as a pair of glasses is out of reach. That’s why uncorrected refractive errors are actually one of the leading causes of visual impairment globally—even though they’re almost always fixable.

What to Watch For

You don’t need to wait for serious vision loss to take action. Here are a few things to look out for:

Blurry or double vision
Frequent squinting or eye rubbing
Holding books or phones very close—or very far away
Headaches, especially after reading or screen use
Difficulty seeing while driving, particularly at night

Kids won’t always tell you something’s wrong, so subtle habits—like sitting too close to the TV or avoiding reading—can be clues.

Getting a Diagnosis

A simple eye exam is all it takes. An optometrist will check how your eyes focus and determine whether you need correction. The process is quick, painless, and something that really should be part of everyone’s basic health care—especially for children, who may not know what “normal” vision looks like.

How It’s Treated

Treatment is straightforward:

Glasses: The easiest and most affordable solution for most people.
Contact lenses (Implantable and replaceable): Great for those who prefer not to wear glasses or need more precise correction.
Vision surgery (like LASIK, Photorefractive Keratectomy, or Conductive Keratoplasty): In some cases, people opt for procedures that reshape the cornea to improve focus.
Reading glasses: A common fix for presbyopia as we age.

The key is consistency—wearing the right prescription and updating it regularly.

What You Can Do

Even though these vision problems are widespread, they’re also some of the easiest to manage. Here’s how you can protect your vision or someone else’s:

Schedule regular eye exams—don’t wait until something feels “wrong”
Pay attention to visual habits in kids and teens
Wear glasses or contacts as prescribed
If you’re over 40, keep an eye out (literally) for signs of presbyopia

In a world where so much depends on our ability to see clearly—learning, working, driving, connecting—it’s surprising how many people live with blurry vision they could fix. A simple exam and the right pair of lenses can completely change someone’s day-to-day life. If the world has started to look a little out of focus, maybe it’s time to bring things back into view.