{"id":20373,"date":"2022-01-03T12:21:03","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T12:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=20373"},"modified":"2022-01-03T12:21:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T12:21:03","slug":"how-does-the-cornea-affect-vision","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/how-does-the-cornea-affect-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does the Cornea Affect Vision?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cornea provides more than 66% of the focusing power of the eye, but what exactly does that mean for your vision?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The cornea<\/a> is the clear, dome-shaped, outermost layer of the eye. It is the main part of the eye responsible for focusing light onto the retina<\/a> at the back of the eye, for the production of clear vision.<\/p>\n

A healthy, dome-shaped cornea provides most of the focusing power of the eyes \u2014 therefore, any corneal irregularity<\/a>, including a change in its shape or curvature can result in vision problems.<\/b><\/p>\n

Why is the cornea\u2019s shape important?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The cornea\u2019s shape impacts the way light is focused onto the retina.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In a healthy visual system, light first enters the eye through the cornea, where it is focused for the first time. It then continues to travel through the lens, to the retina in the back of the eye, where the light signals are transferred to the brain and an image of the world around us is created.<\/p>\n

The image is sent to the brain through the optic nerve for interpretation and processing. The brain then fuses the images from each eye into a single, colorful, 3D images that we can understand.<\/p>\n

An irregular corneal shape or curve prevents the light from focusing directly on the retina, resulting in scattered light and blurry vision.<\/b><\/p>\n

There are many types of vision problems that can result from an irregular cornea:<\/p>\n

1. Myopia<\/b><\/h2>\n

Myopia<\/a> (nearsightedness) occurs when the eye is too long or the cornea is too curved, causing light to be focused in front of the retina, instead of directly on it.<\/p>\n

Myopia results in distant objects appearing blurry, such as road signs and television screens.<\/b><\/p>\n

2. Hyperopia<\/b><\/h2>\n

Hyperopia<\/a> (farsightedness) occurs when the eye is too short or the cornea is too flat, causing light to be focused behind the retina, instead of directly on it.<\/p>\n

Hyperopia results in near objects appearing blurry or out of focus, such as words on a page, numbers on a phone or images on a computer screen.<\/b><\/p>\n

SEE RELATED: <\/b>Corneal Diseases<\/a><\/p>\n

Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor<\/a> if you are experiencing blurry vision \u2014 you may have a corneal condition.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\t

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