Services for Children

hyperopia: “far-sighted”

When the focusing system (cornea and lens) places an image into focus behind the retina, but not on the retina, this is called hyperopia.   One could say that the image ended up “far” to the retina, having overshot the place it should have been; the eye is thus “far-sighted.”  Most children are slightly hyperopic by nature – to put images into focus the natural lens “pulls” the image forwards, towards the retina- this process is called “accommodation.”  However, when there is too much hyperopia for the natural lens to accommodate, the image is blurred unless an outside lens is used to put it into focus (glasses, contact lens, LASIK).  

Hyperopic people cannot properly focus on objects that are close up OR far away. (Don’t get caught up in “far sighted means…” and “near sighted means…” – these terms are misleading.)  Looking at objects up close requires more accommodation by the natural lens than looking at distant objects.

Hyperopic people need glasses (or contact lenses) in order to see distant and near objects.  Hyperopia does tend to diminish over time – while it actually increases between birth and 7 years (or so) it then starts to decrease.  Fortunately, the vast majority of hyperopic people retain the ability to see perfectly well, with correction, if their hyperopia is detected and corrected early enough in life.