Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

Hyperopia or farsightedness is a vision abnormality characterised by difficulty seeing nearby objects, which appear blurry, while distant objects appear clear. The condition is usually hereditary and present at birth.

While looking at an object, light enters the eyes through a transparent outer curved layer called the cornea and passes through the flexible biconvex clear lens in the eye, which changes shape to focus the rays of light on the photosensitive retina at the back of your eyes. In hyperopia, the curvature of these structures is too little either due to an abnormality in the shape or the eyes being too short, and the lens cannot adequately alter its shape to focus nearby objects.

Hyperopia can cause you to squint or pull away when focusing on nearby objects to see them more clearly. It can lead to eyestrain or headache with tasks such as reading or computer work. Hyperopia may be detected on regular eye exams. To diagnose hyperopia, your doctor will review your symptoms and history and perform a comprehensive eye exam to test the various aspects of your vision. This usually involves examining your eyes and vision with different instruments, under bright light, and while looking through different lenses.

To treat hyperopia, your doctor may recommend corrective lens in the form of eyeglasses or contact lens. Surgery may be performed to reshape the cornea or replace a defective lens with an implant.