Farsightedness Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Definition
Farsightedness or hypermetropia or hyperopia is impaired vision at close range so that sufferers experience blurry or unclear vision when looking closely. For example, it is not clear in reading a book. However, people with nearsightedness generally have no problem seeing at long distances.
This refractive disorder is usually experienced by people over the age of 40 years. In fact, many children are also nearsighted. However, children with mild to moderate nearsightedness can see near and far by squinting. In contrast to older people who generally become more difficult to squint.
Farsightedness can be corrected using aids or surgery.
Symptoms
Recognizable symptoms of farsightedness include:
- It’s hard to focus on seeing objects at close range
- Headache
- Blurred vision
- Eyes tense
- Tired eyes or headaches after doing close work such as reading
Reason
The cause of nearsightedness is a too-short eyeball or poor focusing power. As a result, the rays entering the eye cannot focus properly. The image that enters the eye eventually falls on the back of the retina so that the vision becomes blurred.
Hypermetropia usually runs in families. However, many children who experience this disorder will heal on their own due to the elongated eyeballs.
Diagnosis
Doctors can estimate nearsightedness based on the symptoms complained of by the sufferer. A complete refractive eye examination can confirm hypermetropia. The doctor will also find out the size of the lens to correct your hypermetropia.
Treatment
Farsightedness or hypermetropic eye refractive disorders can be corrected with aids (glasses and contact lenses) and surgery. The size of the aids is checked using an eye refraction test. The larger the positive number, the stronger the lens. For example, +3.00 is stronger than +2.50. The lens helps the eye to focus light precisely on the retina of the eye.
In patients with mild hypermetropia, there is no need to use assistive devices all the time. They only need to use glasses when reading.
Eye surgery can also improve your vision. Thus, you do not need to use tools such as glasses or contact lenses.
To correct hypermetropia, the most common surgery is Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK). This procedure uses a laser or other instrument to create a thin flap over the top of the cornea, shape the cornea and close the fold again.
Another procedure is conductive keratoplasty, which is surgery without a laser to correct mild hypermetropia. This procedure uses low-energy radio waves to shape the cornea and improve near vision.
Prevention
Farsightedness or hypermetropia eye refractive disorders cannot be prevented. However, there are several steps you can take to help protect your eyes, such as:
- Do regular eye exams
- Eat nutritious food
- Use good descriptions
- Protect your eyes from direct sunlight, for example by using sunglasses or protective hats
- Avoid reading in places that do not have adequate lighting
- Maintain overall body health to avoid chronic health problems such as diabetes