Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is a common vision condition where you are able to clearly see objects that are far away, but objects close up are blurry. It is a condition in which your eye is underpowered. Farsightedness occurs when the eyeball is too short for the focusing power of the lens and cornea. This causes light rays to focus behind the retina. As a result, the eye sees distant objects clearly while near objects appear blurred. Farsightedness is usually present at birth and tends to run in families.

How can I tell if I have Hyperopia?

Symptoms include nearby objects appearing blurry, squinting, and eyestrain. You may also experience headaches after an extended period of doing close tasks like reading or sewing. Farsightedness is usually diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam.

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Will my vision continue to get worse?

When most people reach their 40s, they start to experience a condition called presbyopia that makes up-close tasks more difficult. The development of presbyopia can make farsightedness more obvious.

How is farsightedness treated?

Farsightedness can be corrected by wearing spherical contact lenses or glasses. Correction requires a "plus" lens containing additional optical power to permit sharp vision of near objects.

Here's how spherical contact lenses correct farsightedness:

The shape of a hyperopic eye focuses images behind the retina, producing blurred vision of near objects.

By increasing the cornea's focusing power, spherical contact lenses correct the refractive error, creating a single focal point on the retina where vision is sharpest.