360 East Mallard Dr., Suite 110 • Boise, Idaho 83706
LASIK: 208.336.8700
Eye Conditions
See the difference BETTER VISION makes
Conditions of the Eye
Click each eye image on the right for more information
The Normal Eye
The eye’s surface is convex, and light rays that hit it bend toward its center. In an eye that has a normally curved cornea and the correct shape, an image focuses exactly on the retina.
Nearsightedness (“Myopia”)
When the eyeball is too long, light rays focus in front of, rather than on, the retina. Under these circumstances, near objects are perceived clearly but distant objects are not.
Learn how Dr. Hollingshead treats nearsightedness.
Farsightedness (“Hyperopia”)
When the eyeball is too short, light rays entering the eye focus behind the retina. Distant objects are seen clearly but near objects are not.
Learn how Dr. Hollingshead treats farsightedness.
Astigmatism
Vision is distorted when the surface of the cornea lens has an uneven curvature; sometimes, it is the eye’s lens that is irregularly shaped. This type of irregularity causes light to focus on more than one spot in the back of the eye, resulting in blurred vision.
Learn how Dr. Hollingshead treats astigmatism.
Presbyopia
The lens of a youthful eye is flexible and can respond to the eye’s muscles and change shape (“accommodate”), becoming thicker to see near objects clearly.
Over time, the eye’s lens gradually loses its elasticity and its ability to change shape to see close objects. Bifocals or reading glasses are the traditional prescription for remedying this presbyopic loss of accommodation, but recent technology makes it possible to replace the inflexible lens for a multifocal lens for clear vision at all distances.
Learn how Dr. Hollingshead treats presbyopia.