If light focuses before the retina, what condition is the patient most likely experiencing?

When light focuses before the retina, the condition that the patient is most likely experiencing is myopia, also known as nearsightedness. In myopia, the eye is either too long, or the cornea has too much curvature, which causes light rays entering the eye to converge before they reach the retina. As a result, objects that are far away appear blurry, while nearby objects can be seen clearly.

This condition differs significantly from others like hyperopia, where light focuses behind the retina, making far objects clearer than near ones. Astigmatism is characterized by an irregular curvature of the cornea or lens, leading to distorted or blurred vision at all distances, rather than just focusing before the retina. Presbyopia arises with age, causing difficulty in focusing on close objects due to a loss of elasticity in the lens, but it does not involve light focusing in front of the retina. Understanding these distinctions can clarify how myopia specifically relates to the focusing of light in the eye.