Question

A person looking at a person wearing a shirt with a pattern comprising vertical and horizontal lines is able to see the vertical lines more distinctly than the horizontal ones. What is this defect due to? How is such a defect of vision corrected?

Answer 1

In the given case, the person is able to see vertical lines more distinctly than horizontal lines. This means that the refracting system (cornea and eye-lens) of the eye is not working in the same way in different planes. This defect is called astigmatism. The person’s eye has enough curvature in the vertical plane. However, the curvature in the horizontal plane is insufficient. Hence, sharp images of the vertical lines are formed on the retina, but horizontal lines appear blurred. This defect can be corrected by using cylindrical lenses.