What is the main purpose of a refraction in eye care?

The primary purpose of a refraction in eye care is to verify the need for corrective lenses. During a refraction assessment, an eye care professional determines the precise prescription needed to correct refractive errors such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. This process is crucial for ensuring that individuals can achieve optimal visual acuity with the aid of glasses or contact lenses.

Through this procedure, various lenses are used to measure how light enters the eye and is focused on the retina. By systematically adjusting the lenses and gauging the patient's responses, the practitioner can identify the most effective lens prescription to improve vision. This directly addresses the need for corrective measures, making it a vital component of routine eye examinations for those who experience blurred vision or other visual impairments.

Other aspects of eye care, such as assessing eye health, measuring eye pressure, or diagnosing eye diseases, while important, typically fall under different assessments or tests. These serve their specific purposes but do not focus primarily on determining the need for corrective lenses.