What to know about Hyperopia

What to know about Hyperopia

The two most common types of vision correction are nearsightedness and farsightedness. These are referred to as refractive error, or irregularities in the eye’s anatomy that affect its ability to focus light on the retina. Both refractive errors share common symptoms including headaches, eye strain, squinting to see clearly, and eye fatigue. However, the cause of error is different between the two.

First let’s break down the vision process. Vision occurs when light is bent (refracted) through the cornea and the lens. Light is then focused on the retina which converts it into electric signals that are sent through the optic nerve to the brain. Your brain interprets these signals into the image you see.

Myopia, or nearsightedness, happens when light entering the eye focuses in front of the retina, usually because the eyeball has grown too long. This makes distant objects appear blurry, but anything close-up is not affected.

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, happens when light entering the eye focuses behind the retina, usually because the eyeball is too short or the cornea has too little curvature. This makes close objects appear blurry, but distant vision is not affected. It is possible, but not as common, for a person be farsighted, because of their natural lens is too thin. Mild cases of hyperopia might not affect vision at all but cause headaches when doing close-up work.

Children are farsighted at birth and begin to lessen that prescription as they grow. Many children have a farsighted prescription that becomes less and less as they grow. Some grow to the point where they can function in everyday life without glasses or contacts.

Eventually we all get a visual condition called presbyopia, which is Greek for old eyes. This condition is where we lose the ability to focus on near objects. The change is gradual and eventually becomes noticeable after the age of forty.

A crystal clear lens is located in your eye behind the iris or colored part of your eye. This lens changes shape to focus light on the retina. When we are young, the lens is soft and very flexible. After the age of 40, the lens becomes more rigid. This makes it harder to change shape and focus on near objects. You might be able to compensate at first by moving things further away from you. BUT your arms are only so long. Eventually, you will need some sort of correction. Maybe it will be reading glasses or bifocals, contacts, or even a corrective surgery.

We know what you’re thinking, “how is this different from hyperopia?” Yes, both errors make close-work or near objects difficult to see. However, this problem is happening for different reasons. Hyperopia is a condition that is starting and developing from birth. While presbyopia is a natural occurring that happens to all of us as we age.

References

Bailey, G. & Thompson, V. (2017). Hyperopia (farsightedness): How to correct for it. All About Vision. Retrieved February 5, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/hyperopia.htm?_ga=2.241224896.356759371.1579121809-890544666.1576263814

Duff, B.L. & Heiting, G. (2019). What’s the difference between nearsightedness and farsightedness? All About Vision. Retrieved February 7, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/myopia-faq/nearsightedness-and-farsightedness.htm?_ga=2.212978518.356759371.1579121809-890544666.1576263814