What is farsightedness?

People who are farsighted see far-away objects better than those that are close. If you are farsighted, you may have trouble with up-close tasks like reading or sewing.

Farsightedness occurs because your eye is too short and does not bend light correctly. Light entering the eye is focused behind the retina instead of directly on the retina.

Mild farsightedness may not need treatment in young adults. Their eyes can usually adjust to make up for the problem. But as you age, your eyes cannot adjust as well. You may not notice that you are farsighted until around age 40, when you will need eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Glasses or contact lenses can also help if your farsightedness is more than a mild problem. Surgery may be an option in some cases.

Farsightedness often starts in early childhood. But normal growth corrects the problem. If a child is still a bit farsighted when the eye has stopped growing (at around 9 years of age), the eye can usually adjust to make up for the problem. This is called accommodation.

But as we age, our eyes can no longer adjust as well. Starting at about age 40, our eyes naturally begin to lose the ability to focus on close objects. This is called presbyopia. You may start to notice that your near vision becomes blurred. As presbyopia gets worse, both near and distance vision will become blurred.

Symptoms of farsightedness can include:

• Blurred vision, especially at night.
• Trouble seeing objects up close. For example, you can't see well enough to read newspaper print.
• Aching eyes, eyestrain, and headaches.

Children with this problem may have no symptoms. But a child with more severe farsightedness may:

• Have headaches.
• Rub their eyes often.
• Have trouble reading or show little interest in reading.

Most farsighted people don't need treatment. Your eyes can usually adjust to make up for the problem. But as you age and your eyes can't adjust as well, you will probably need eyeglasses or contact lenses. (Glasses or contact lenses can help at any age if farsightedness is more than a mild problem.)

Surgery may be an option in some cases. Procedures to reshape the cornea, such as LASIK, can be done for milder cases of farsightedness. For severe farsightedness, surgery can replace the clear lens of your eye with an implanted lens.

If you are farsighted, get regular eye exams, and see your eye care specialist if you have changes in your vision.

A routine eye exam by an ophthalmologist or optometrist can show if you're farsighted. The exam includes questions about your eyesight and a physical exam of your eyes. Other vision tests, such as a slit lamp exam, may also be done.

Reduce eyestrain

• Make sure that your child wears eyeglasses or contact lenses as prescribed.
• Use good light for reading or study. Use a soft background light plus a light on your child's task.
• To make it easier to read, choose large-print books. Adjust the print size on your child's computer and online when possible.
• Have your child take frequent breaks when doing closeup work that can be hard on the eyes. Tell your child to blink often and to close and rest when their eyes feel tired or dry.
• Avoid glare on TV and computer screens. Place the TV or computer screen where lights do not reflect on the screen. Some children find it easier to work on a computer in a dimly lit room. Special nonglare screens that fit over the computer screen may help.

Keep your child's eyes healthy

• Make sure your child gets eye exams as often as your doctor recommends.
• Have your child wear sunglasses to block harmful sunlight. Buy sunglasses that screen out ultraviolet A and B (UVA and UVB) rays.

Farsightedness occurs when light entering the eye is focused behind the retina instead of directly on it. This is caused by an eye that is too short, whose cornea is not curved enough, or whose lens sits farther back in the eye than normal.

Farsightedness often runs in families. In rare cases, some diseases such as retinopathy and eye tumors can cause it.

People who are farsighted see things at a distance more easily than they see things up close. Close objects may look blurry. Farsightedness (hyperopia) is usually a variation from normal, not a disease. How it affects you may change as you age.