Which lens corrects nearsightedness?

Study for Refraction and Lenses Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, with hints and explanations for each question. Take the road to success and prepare for your test today!

Multiple Choice

Which lens corrects nearsightedness?

Explanation:
In nearsightedness, the eye brings light to a focus in front of the retina because its optical power is too strong or the eye is too long. To fix this, you want to spread light rays out slightly so the focus moves back onto the retina. A concave lens does exactly that: it is a diverging lens that makes incoming rays spread apart before they enter the eye, reducing the eye’s effective focusing power. This shifts the final focus back onto the retina, allowing distant objects to appear clear. The other options wouldn’t correct myopia: a convex lens bends light inward more, making the focus even earlier in front of the retina; a plano-convex lens also converges light; a cylindrical lens changes focus in only one meridian, which is used for astigmatism, not simple nearsightedness.

In nearsightedness, the eye brings light to a focus in front of the retina because its optical power is too strong or the eye is too long. To fix this, you want to spread light rays out slightly so the focus moves back onto the retina. A concave lens does exactly that: it is a diverging lens that makes incoming rays spread apart before they enter the eye, reducing the eye’s effective focusing power. This shifts the final focus back onto the retina, allowing distant objects to appear clear.

The other options wouldn’t correct myopia: a convex lens bends light inward more, making the focus even earlier in front of the retina; a plano-convex lens also converges light; a cylindrical lens changes focus in only one meridian, which is used for astigmatism, not simple nearsightedness.

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