What is hyperopia?
Hyperopia, is a common refractive error of the eye where distant objects can be seen more clearly than near objects. This occurs because the eyeball is too short or the cornea has too little curvature, causing light entering the eye to focus behind the retina instead of directly on it. As a result, close-up objects appear blurry, while distant objects may still be clear.
If you’re far sighted, the focusing muscles aren’t relaxed, even for far away objects, which means they have to work harder in order to see closer objects clearly.
What causes hyperopia?
Hyperopia happens when the light coming into the eye is not able to focus properly at the back of the eye. This can be caused by:
- The eye ball being too short
- The cornea being too flat
- The lens inside the eye being unable focus properly
It’s not always clear what causes these problems and quite often hyperopia can be inherited from your parents.
Far sighted symptoms
People with hyperopia will find that they can see objects in the distance clearly, but things up close are out of focus, or look quite fuzzy. If you are far sighted, it makes doing things close up difficult and more tiring for the eyes, as they’re having to work very hard to see. Often this becomes too much of a strain and reading or using your phone becomes out of focus. You may find yourself squinting or holding things further away at arm’s length to try and see clearly.
Treatment for hyperopia
Prescription glasses
The most common and non-invasive hyperopia can usually be corrected easily by wearing prescription glasses. Convex lenses, which are thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, are used to help focus light directly onto the retina, compensating for the eye's inability to do so naturally.As long-sightedness can increase with age, the strength or the prescription of your glasses may need to be increased as you get older.
Contact lenses
It can also be corrected by wearing contact lenses, which may be a better option if glasses would get in the way of your lifestyle. People with hyperopia usually wear contact lenses which are 'plus' or convex in shape to achieve normal vision. Your optician will be able to advise you on the most suitable type of contact lens for you.
Laser eye surgery
Laser eye surgery might be an option for certain people to correct their hyperopia.
