Farsightedness

What is Hyperopia?

Hyperopia, often referred to as farsightedness, is a common refractive error where distant objects are seen more clearly than objects which are closer. Farsightedness occurs if:

• The eyeball is too short
• The cornea has too little curvature.

In such cases, the eye cannot correctly focus the light which enters it, resulting in difficulty focusing on near object images.

Symptoms of Hyperopia

If you are farsighted, your eyes have to work hard to focus on nearby objects. This can cause eyestrain and includes symptoms such as:

• Eye fatigue
• Blurry vision up close
• Squinting
• An aching sensation in your eyes
• Headaches after reading or doing other tasks which require focusing on something up close.
• Poor reading ability
• Difficulty maintaining a clear image of a nearby object

Diagnosis of Hyperopia

A normal vision test is often ineffective in detecting hyperopia. A more comprehensive eye test involving a phoropter is required to effectively assess the condition and determine which eyeglass prescription is needed.

Treatment of Hyperopia

While you cannot prevent farsightedness, it can be very successfully treated. There are three main options:

• Prescription eyeglasses (depending on the prescription, you may need to wear your glasses all the time or only when reading or when you need to see objects up close.)
• Contact lenses
• Laser eye surgery

Talk to our optometrists to see which treatment option is best for you.