Hyperopia (Long-sightedness)

Hyperopia (long-sightedness or far-sightedness) occurs when a person is able to see objects far away but where near vision (reading) is poor. Like other refractive errors, hyperopia occurs when the eye is unable to focus light rays accurately on the seeing part of the eye – the retina.

What causes hyperopia?

Usually, this is caused by the eyeball being too short, causing light rays to focus behind the retina. Very young children may be hyperopic due to their small eyeballs, but their hyperopia lessens as their eyeball grows larger with time. Adult hyperopia is increasingly rare.

Hyperopia can be corrected with convex corrective lenses such as in spectacles or contact lenses. These vision aids help to focus the light rays entering the eye onto the retina. Other ways to correct hyperopia include refractive surgery options such as LASIK, advanced surface ablation and implantable contact lenses.