In reading about vision and eye care, you may come across a number of unfamiliar terms. This glossary, adapted from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Eye Insititute of the National Institutes of Health, can help you decipher some of them. For additional questions, of course, ask your doctor. Ablate in surgery, is to remove.
Ablation zone is the area of tissue that is removed during laser surgery.
Accommodation is the ability of the eye to change its focus from distant objects to near objects. Acuity is clearness, or sharpness of vision. Astigmatism is a distortion of the image on the retina usually caused by irregularities in the cornea. Cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens that can cause vision problems. The most common type is related to aging, with more than half of all Americans age 65 and older having a cataract.