What does a standard refraction typically fail to detect?

A standard refraction is designed primarily to identify basic refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. However, it often does not encompass the detection of higher order aberrations. These aberrations include more complex optical imperfections in the eye that can affect vision quality, especially in low-light conditions or when viewing high-contrast images.

Higher order aberrations are not simply corrected by standard lenses prescribed during a routine refraction. Instead, advanced assessments, like wavefront analysis, are needed to accurately measure these distortions. Recognizing these aberrations is critical as they can contribute to visual symptoms such as glare, halos, and diminished contrast sensitivity, which are not addressed by the conventional refraction process. Thus, the typical methods used during standard refraction may miss these subtler, yet impactful, visual problems that require more specialized testing for identification and management.