HYPEROPIA is the medical term for farsightedness. In this condition, the focusing power of the eye is too weak for the length of the eye.
Ideally, the cornea and lens, the two focusing structures in the eye, focus images directly on the surface of the retina. If the eye were too short, or the focusing power too weak, the image would be focused behind the retina. At the retinal surface, the image would be blurred. Thus, the vision, too, would be blurred.
Corrective lenses in the form of glasses or contact lenses are used to refocus the image so that it falls directly on the retina, clearing the vision.
Until age 40 or so, the eye has the ability to accommodate, or focus over varying distances. Often, this ability allows people who are farsighted to see clearly at all distances without glasses.
At present, there is no approved surgery to correct farsightedness, alone. In the future, surgical correction of this condition may be possible.
PLEASE NOTE: The information contained on this system is not intended to supplant individual professional consultation, but is offered as a community education service. Advice on individual problems should be obtained directly from a professional.
Copyright, 1994. Richard E. Gans, M.D.
Last Modified: August 23, 1996