What is hyperopia?

Hyperopia, farsightedness, is a common eye condition in which you can see distant objects clearly, but objects nearby may be blurry.

Hyperopia, farsightedness, is a common refractive error that affects approximately one quarter of the population. Hyperopia is caused by a flat cornea or an eyeball that is shorter than normal, resulting in the visual image being focused behind the retina and not directly on it. A hyperopic refractive error does not always cause visual difficulties, because the eye is capable of accommodating for this error. The eye accommodates for this by focusing the image on the retina. The image will be seen clearly without assistance from a visual aid. Many children are born hyperopic, but outgrow it as the eyeball grows.

Typically, people with a milder hyperopia see distant objects clearly, but have difficulty seeing clearly at close distances, such as reading a computer screen or a book. For people with significant hyperopia, vision can be blurry for objects at any distance, near and far. People with hyperopia may suffer from headaches, eye strain and may squint or feel tired when performing work at close distances.

The most common ways to correct hyperopia are with glasses, contact lenses and refractive surgery. Hyperopia glasses or contact lens prescription starts with a plus sign. The more significant the hyperopia is, the higher the + number in the prescription.