People with refractive errors may experience frustrating symptoms, such as headaches, as a result of their eye muscles having to work hard to focus.
Nearsightedness
Medically referred to as myopia, nearsightedness causes objects that are far away to appear blurry and out of focus. People with nearsightedness can often see fine up close but will struggle with distant vision.
Farsightedness
Medically referred to as hyperopia, farsightedness is the opposite of nearsightedness: distance vision is unimpaired, but close-up vision is impacted.
Astigmatism
The best of both worlds (myopia and hyperopia), people with astigmatism may have difficulty focusing on objects both near and far.
Presbyopia
Everyone will experience presbyopia at some point. A byproduct of aging, presbyopia comes on gradually (and is most evident in Canadians over age 40), reducing visual acuity. It can be effectively corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses.