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In optics, distortion refers to the deviation of light rays that causes images to be blurred or misshapen. This occurs when an image point is not focused to a single point, resulting in a finite size and unsymmetrical shape for the image point.1

There are several types of optical distortion:
* Barrel distortion: Straight lines appear curved outward, away from the center of the image.23
* Pincushion distortion: Straight lines appear curved inward, toward the center of the image.43
* Chromatic aberration: Different colors of light are focused at different planes and scales, leading to color fringes around object outlines.53

These aberrations can be corrected by using multiple lens elements designed to counteract each other's imperfections.3

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