What Is Farsightedness or Hyperopia

Hyperopia is the medical term for `farsightedness.' It occurs when an eye is too short for the cornea's curvature. Light rays entering the eye focus behind the retina, and as a result a blurred image is produced.

Farsighted individuals, however, can use their focusing muscles to 'pull' the image forward onto the retina. In a young person with severe hyperopia, or once presbyopia sets in around age 45, distant objects are seen more clearly than near objects. Certain laser technologies, such as holmium lasers and hyperopic LASIK may correct this condition.