Hyperopia
How does the eye focus light?
The eye works like a camera. It has an opening at the front (the pupil), a focusing mechanism (the cornea and crystalline lens), and a light-sensing portion at the back (the retina). In order to see clearly, light rays from an object must focus onto the retina, where light is processed and sent to the brain. If light rays are not focused on the retina, a blur or refractive error is present.
What is hyperopia (farsightedness)?
Hyperopia occurs when light rays focus behind the retina, either because an eye is either too short or has too little focusing power.
A mild hyperopia is normal in childhood (children typically have “shorter eyes”) and glasses correction is typically not required. This is due to the flexibility of the lens in the child's eyes allowing images to be focused properly on the retina.
A moderate amount of hyperopia will cause a person to constantly use their focusing muscles, and can lead to eye strain and fatigue, especially during prolonged reading or up close tasks. If the amount of hyperopia is more than what a person can compensate for, then vision will become blurred, especially up close.
Severe hyperopia (greater than +5 Diopters) causes amblyopia, or “lazy eye”, a problem with visual development that can lead to permanent visual impairment if not treated soon enough. Amblyopia can also develop if one eye is more hyperopic than the other.
What Are Symptoms of Farsightedness/Hyperopia?
difficulty with close tasks like reading
eyestrain/fatigue
squinting
headaches
blurred vision, may be constant or intermittent
an inward eye turn (accommodative esotropia)
How is hyperopia treated?
Hyperopia is treated with glasses, contact lenses and refractive surgery in adulthood. This helps move where light is focused to help with clearer vision and reduce symptoms.
When is hyperopia treated?
Hyperopia is treated 1) if your child is symptomatic and this is disrupting day to day activities or 2) there is concern for amblyopia or lazy eye. Amblyopia is a problem with the normal development of vision because the brain isn’t getting clear enough visual information to process. This can occur in one or both eyes and hyperopia is a common cause for this condition. Amblyopia is the leading cause of visual impairement in childhood and can only be effectively treated in younger age. There is not effective treatment for amblyopia in adulthood (there is no surgery, contact lens or glasses that will improve vision with amblyopia).
It is important to have a comprehensive eye examination to determine how much hyperopia your child has, if they need glasses for all the time or just reading, and if there is any amblyopia in one or both eyes.
