Which refractive error causes parallel light rays to focus in front of the retina?

Which refractive error causes parallel light rays to focus in front of the retina?

• A. Astigmatism
• B. Myopia
• C. Presbyopia
• D. Ametropia

Answer: (B)

When parallel light rays don’t reach the retina exactly where they should, the eye isn’t focusing distance correctly. In myopia, parallel light rays come to a focus in front of the retina because the eye is too long or the optical power is too strong. That makes distant objects appear blurry while near objects can be clearer. Corrective lenses are concave, which helps push that focal point back onto the retina to restore clear distance vision. This pattern is different from astigmatism, which has uneven focusing in different meridians; presbyopia, which involves reduced ability to focus on near objects with age; and ametropia, a general term for any refractive error without specifying where the focus lands.

When parallel light rays don’t reach the retina exactly where they should, the eye isn’t focusing distance correctly. In myopia, parallel light rays come to a focus in front of the retina because the eye is too long or the optical power is too strong. That makes distant objects appear blurry while near objects can be clearer. Corrective lenses are concave, which helps push that focal point back onto the retina to restore clear distance vision. This pattern is different from astigmatism, which has uneven focusing in different meridians; presbyopia, which involves reduced ability to focus on near objects with age; and ametropia, a general term for any refractive error without specifying where the focus lands.