Hyperopia / Farsightedness

• Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is a common visual problem where the eye is focused at a distance and may strain or blur to see up close.

• Most people with “normal” vision are farsighted, and can see distant objects well and use their eyes’ focusing muscles to refocus up close.

• Hyperopia/Farsightedness generally becomes a problem when the eyes’ focusing muscles are not able to properly adjust from far to near.

• People with low amounts of hyperopia can often benefit from low powered glasses for near work, though they may not always be needed.

• A moderate to high amount of hyperopia is usually corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

What is hyperopia/farsightedness?

Hyperopia is the visual condition of the eye where the eye is focused at a distant point. An appropriately focused, “normal“, eye should in fact be perfectly focused at true distance at rest, which means that most “normal eyes” are in fact farsighted.

Some eyes, though, can confusingly be excessively focused at distance, which forces the eyes to engage their focusing muscles just to see clearly at distance. This condition can cause the eyes to strain excessively to see up close, cause blurry vision up close, or cause the eyes to cross when looking up close.

How is far-sighted vision corrected?

Normally far-sighted people with no symptoms generally do not require glasses.

Far-sighted people with symptoms of strain or blur when reading or looking up close are generally given glasses that are just enough power to reduce strain and give clear comfortable vision at all distances. This sometimes does require more power when looking up close than far away, which is prescribed in the form of a bifocal, multifocal, or progressive lens. Hyperopia can be also be corrected with contact lenses, though typically the most benefit is seen with moderate to higher amounts.

Far-sighted children who have difficulty focusing at near may also benefit from vision therapy, where exercises and activities are prescribed to teach the eyes to focus more efficiently and stably.

These exercises have limited effectiveness beyond the age of 40 as focusing problems past this age are due to the physical inflexibility of the focusing lens inside of the eye.

What about laser eye surgery?

There are surgeries that can modify or correct the focus point of the eye which can correct for hyperopia, these are called refractive surgeries. The most common refractive surgery is LASIK, but there are other procedures available which can have similar effects. As with any eye surgery, LASIK and other refractive surgeries do carry risks.

Do you have a concern about your vision in the Kent, Auburn, Renton, Covington, Maple Valley, Enumclaw, or Black Diamond area?

Schedule an eye exam today!