Which of the following has the smallest retinal image size when uncorrected?

• A. Uncorrected axial myope
• B. Uncorrected axial hyperope
• C. Uncorrected refractive myope
• D. Uncorrected refractive hyperope

Answer: (B)

When a distant object subtends a given angle at the eye, the size of its image on the retina mainly tracks how far the retina sits from the lens system along the optical axis. In other words, retinal image size scales with the eye’s axial length: a longer eye (as in axial myopia) gives a larger image on the retina, while a shorter eye (as in axial hyperopia) gives a smaller image.

Uncorrected axial hyperopia means the eye is shorter than normal, so the retina lies closer to the focal plane. For the same external object, the retinal image that forms is smaller. In contrast, an uncorrected axial myope has an elongated eye, producing a larger retinal image, and uncorrected refractive errors (where the wrinkle is due to the lens power rather than eye length) keep the axial length near normal, so the retinal image size is not reduced as much. Therefore, the smallest retinal image size among these uncorrected conditions occurs with the axial hyperope.