The Farsighted Eye (Hyperopia)

Hyperopia (i.e. farsightedness) is much less common than myopia or emmetropia. It is typically in the +1.00 to +4.00 diopter range, rarely it can be as high as +8.00 diopters. In contrast to myopia, hyperopia occurs when the eye is too short for the power of its optical components. In hyperopia, the cornea is not steep enough and light rays hit the retina before they come into focus. In the picture above the light rays are shown to focus behind the eye (arrow). Distant objects appear blurred, and nearby objects are even more fuzzy. Most farsighted individuals need corrective eyewear to see clearly at all distances.

Spectacle Correction

Correction of hyperopia requires a lens which is convex (i.e. thicker in the middle than the edges). This acts as a magnifier, and causes objects to appear bigger by 2% per diopter. For this reason hyperopes while wearing their spectacle correction, appear to have "big" eyes. Optical aberrations and decreased peripheral vision occur are likely to occur with large amounts of hyperopia.

Contact Lens Correction

Contact lens correction reduces the optical problems that plague spectacle lenses, but they have their own unique problems including high-maintenance care solutions, corneal warpage, corneal suffocation, corneal infections, and eyelid allergies.