1. Look for Telltale Symptoms
Hypermetropia, a.k.a. farsightedness, presents as difficulty seeing nearby objects. Patients often have to squint to read text or to read expressions on other people's faces. As a consequence of this constant strain, people with farsightedness often complain of a burning pain around the eyes, headaches and general eyestrain. If you feel discomfort after reading, taking exams or concentrating on small objects in your near field of view, you may have the condition.
Farsightedness is an inheritable condition. If your parents are farsighted (or myopic or astigmatic), your chances of farsightedness or other visual problems increase. The severity of the problem can vary significantly from individual to individual and even within the same individual at different moments in time.
In extreme cases, a farsighted person may only see objects very far away. In mild cases, the person may be able to see clearly in both near and far fields but may experience pain after concentrating on the near field.
2. Look for Problems Typically Associated With Farsightedness
In addition to eyestrain caused by squinting, patients can experience difficulty performing tasks that require concentration on the near field of vision, such as reading, test taking and communicating with small groups of people. In children, farsightedness can present as cross-eyed vision. In some cases, individuals may have difficulty driving or operating heavy machinery.
3. See an Eye Specialist and Take Eye Examinations
An optician can write a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct your farsighted condition. For a more complicated evaluation, see either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. The optometrist specializes in examining vision conditions and should easily be able to identify the presence or absence of farsightedness. The ophthalmologist holds an M.D., so he has more specialized knowledge about arcane eye disorders. If you were to undergo laser surgery to correct your farsightedness, an ophthalmologist would perform the procedure.
Your eye doctor can evaluate your condition using a variety of tests, including the following: having you look through a series of lenses, shining lights in your eyes and examining your physical reactions and having you read letters from eye charts.
