A refractive error means that the light is not bending properly when it passes through the cornea and retina of your eye. The refraction test will tell your doctor what prescription you should use in order to have 20/20 vision. Refractive errors are optical imperfections that prevent the eye from properly focusing light, causing blurred vision. The primary refractive errors are nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Refractive errors can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery. Eyeglasses are the simplest and safest way to correct refractive errors. Refractive eye surgery is any eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses.