Laser surgery can remove vision problems By Jeffrey Bramnick,
Pure Matters Laser procedures can help correct refractive
errors, or problems caused by an imperfectly shaped eyeball or
cornea. (The cornea is the front, transparent part of the eye
that bends and focuses light.) Refractive errors cause light
from an object to be imprecisely focused on the retina of the
eye, causing a blurred image. Refractive errors usually occur in
otherwise healthy eyes. These are the four basic types of
refractive errors: - Myopia or nearsightedness. Close objects
appear sharp, but those in the distance are blurred. The eyeball
is longer than normal from front to back or the cornea is curved
too much, so images focus in front of the retina instead of on
it. - Hyperopia or farsightedness. Distant objects can be seen
clearly, but objects up close are blurred. The eyeball is
shorter than normal or the cornea is too flat, so images focus
behind the retina. - Astigmatism. Objects are blurred at any
distance. The cornea, lens or bot