Hyperopia
Treatments for hyperopia
Is it hard for
you to see things that are close up even though your
distance vision is as acute as ever? Farsightedness is
the result of an abnormality in the structure of your
eyes that makes it difficult for them to focus on
objects that are close to you. While farsightedness is
often present from the time that you're a child, it's
often not apparent until middle age when your eyes start
losing their ability to adjust focus from near to far
quickly and easily.
Farsightedness
runs in families, although injuries or diseases in the
eye may contribute to the condition in rare cases. It is
most often diagnosed with a simple eye test, though
headaches and eyestrain can signal problems with
farsightedness in adults.
There are a
number of options for correcting farsightedness, each
with distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Eyeglasses
The most common
treatment for farsightedness is eyeglasses with
corrective lenses. They are the easiest and safest
option for improving your vision if you have hyperopia.
Glasses are readily available and can be fitted with
precision and accuracy. Nearly everyone can wear
eyeglasses, which can easily be replaced if the
prescription needs changing.
On the other
hand, eyeglasses aren't an option for people in some
professions such as fire-fighting. They can be
expensive, uncomfortable and fragile.
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses
have become more and more popular as the materials and
styles available have improved. Today's
soft contact
lenses are fitted with nearly as much precision as
glasses, and provide better peripheral vision. In many
cases the choice to wear
contact lenses rather than
glasses is a matter of appearance - you may simply feel
you look better without glasses.
On the flip
side, contact lenses can be more expensive than glasses.
If you're not suited to wearing disposable or
extended
wear contact lenses, disinfecting and cleaning your
contact lenses daily can be inconvenient.
Eye Surgery
Another option for correcting farsightedness is eye surgery. A surgeon skilled with a laser scalpel can reshape the cornea of the eye so that light focuses directly on the retina as it's supposed to do rather than behind the retina, which distorts the vision. The results of surgery are variable, but when it is most successful, laser eye surgery can completely eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses.
