Farsightedness, also known as hyperopia, is a common condition where people struggle to see objects nearby. People with this problem will often have no issues seeing distant objects, but they may have difficulty reading a book or using a computer, for example. In the advanced stage of farsightedness, things nearby will also become blurry. Farsightedness affects about 5% to 10% of Americans.

Symptoms

People can experience farsightedness in different ways. It is also possible that some people with farsightedness will not notice anything wrong with their vision.

The most common sign of hyperopia is that nearby objects will appear blurry, and people with farsightedness will often notice it when doing simple tasks such as reading or using a computer. Performing tasks with objects nearby will force the eye’s muscles to work harder for farsighted people and trigger other symptoms, including:

    Headaches

    Squinting to see something clearly

    Eyestrain, which can cause burning and itching

    Dull pain in the eye

Farsightedness is the most common eye problem affecting children. Most infants are farsighted at birth, but less than 4 % of children have the condition at age 1. In most cases, the eyes correct themselves and children with farsightedness start seeing clearly even before parents notice they have any vision problems.

However, some signs indicate that the farsightedness didn’t go away. Parents may notice some red flags, such as eyestrain or if the child has learning problems. It is also possible that farsighted children will not notice symptoms because other parts of their visual systems are able to compensate, at least temporarily, for the changes. Children with severe farsightedness also tend to develop other problems such as lazy eyes and strabismus.

In a perfect eye, light bends (refraction) when entering the eye and goes through two different parts: first, the cornea, the covering at the front of the eye, then the lens, a clear piece that focuses the light deeper into the eye. The light forms a focused point onto the retina, a thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye. The retina will send the information to the brain and result in the images we see. In some cases, like farsightedness, light enters the eye differently, causing refractive errors where the images are focused behind the retina rather than directly on it. Farsightedness often happens when the cornea has an abnormal shape (too short or too flat) or when the eye muscles are getting weaker with increasing age.

Media contact:

Williams

Managging Editor

Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology

Mail ID: opthalmology@peerjournal.org

WhatsApp no: + 1-504-608-2390