Hyperopia (Farsightedness)
Hyperopia is the medical term for farsightedness, a condition where you can see things better when they’re farther away. This results from how your eyes focus light and is usually treated with glasses or contacts. Keep reading to learn all about what farsightedness means and how to fix it.
What Is Farsightedness?
Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is a condition where you see distant objects more clearly than objects close to you. Your eyes can’t focus light correctly, which makes objects near your eyes look blurry. This can make it difficult to do close-up tasks like reading or computer work.
Causes
The cornea and lens at the front of the eye are responsible for focusing light on the retina at the back of your eye, sending an image of what you’re looking at to your brain. In farsightedness, the cornea and lens project the light too far back, behind your retina, which creates a blurry image of objects close to you.
This may result from a structural problem where the eye is too short to focus light correctly on the retina. In other cases, the cornea or lens's shape makes their ability to focus light weaker than average.
Most people are born with the condition, though they may not notice symptoms until adulthood. The causes are partly genetic, so you’re more likely to be farsighted if others in your family are.
Symptoms
If you have hyperopia, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Trouble focusing on nearby objects
- Trouble reading small print
- Blurry vision
- Eye strain, such as aching or burning eyes
- Headaches after trying to focus on close-up tasks like reading
Young children often have hyperopia, but their eyes can more easily adapt and compensate for the problem, so they may not experience symptoms. As their eyes grow with age, mild farsightedness will often correct itself. In other cases, the condition will continue into adulthood, and symptoms may become more noticeable.
Having young children screened and monitored for hyperopia is important to ensure it resolves and doesn’t cause additional vision concerns.
Diagnosis
A diagnosis of hyperopia does not require any specialized tests. You can get it during a basic eye exam where the optometrist asks you to read letters from a chart on a wall or up close. With a hand-held scope, they can also check how light reflects off your retina.
Treatment Options
If you’re wondering how to fix farsightedness, prescription glasses or contacts are the most common treatment options. The optometrist will determine the prescription you need for your eye exam. A prescription for hyperopia is given as a positive (+) number. The higher the number on your prescription, the more help your eyes need to see clearly.
In some cases, surgical correction with LASIK may be an option that can permanently resolve the problem. Another surgical option is refractive lens exchange, which replaces your eye’s lens with an artificial lens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does Farsightedness Mean?
How Common Is Farsightedness?
Am I at Risk for Farsightedness?
How Do You Fix Farsightedness?
Can You Prevent Farsightedness?
Protect Your Vision with Annual Eye Exams
If you think you might have hyperopia or have any other vision concerns, don’t delay seeing an eye doctor. Schedule an eye exam through Visionworks today and ensure better vision for your tomorrow!
