Normal vision

With normal vision everything you see is clear and in focus, as in this picture.

You might hear this called 20/20 vision. That means that you can see clearly at 20 feet what most people with normal vision can see.

Nearsighted (Myopia)

Nearsighted people's vision is blurry at a distance. They might see something like this picture when they look at things far away.

Nearsightedness occurs when the eye has too much "plus power" and the eye focuses the light in front of the retina.

Point your mouse on this image to compare it to normal vision.

Farsighted (Hyperopia)

Farsighted people's vision is blurry close up. They might see something like this picture when they try to read or do close-up work.

Farsightedness occurs because the eye does not have enough power to focus light on the retina.

Point your mouse on this image to compare it to normal vision.

Astigmatism

People with an astigmatism don't see clearly at any distance.

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is not spherical. This causes the light that enters the eye to be focused at two different focal points in the eye.

Information courtesy of the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.