Farsightedness

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What is Farsightedness?

Farsightedness is difficulty seeing objects that are nearby.



Alternative names

Hyperopia



Causes

Farsightedness is the result of the visual image being focused behind the retina rather than directly on it. It may be caused by the eyeball being too small or the focusing power being too weak. Farsightedness is often present from birth, but children have a very flexible eye lens, which helps make up for the problem. Most children outgrow the condition. As aging occurs, glasses or contact lenses may be required to correct the vision. If you have family members who are farsighted, you are a...



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What is Farsightedness?

Farsightedness is difficulty seeing objects that are nearby.

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Alternative names

Hyperopia

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Causes

Farsightedness is the result of the visual image being focused behind the retina rather than directly on it. It may be caused by the eyeball being too small or the focusing power being too weak.

Farsightedness is often present from birth, but children have a very flexible eye lens, which helps make up for the problem. Most children outgrow the condition. As aging occurs, glasses or contact lenses may be required to correct the vision. If you have family members who are farsighted, you are also more likely to become farsighted.

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Symptoms & Signs

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Exams and Tests

A general eye examination to diagnosis farsightedness may include the following tests:

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Treatments

Farsightedness is easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Surgical techniques are available for correcting farsightedness and can be used for those who do not wish to wear glasses or contacts.

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Prognosis

The outcome is expected to be good.

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Possible Complications

Farsightedness can be a risk factor for glaucoma and lazy eye.

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When to contact a medical professional

Call for an appointment with your health care provider or ophthalmologist if symptoms of farsightedness develop and you have not had an eye examination recently.

Also, call if vision begins to get worse after you have been diagnosed with farsightedness.

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A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch). The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2008 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Review Date: .8/22/2008

Reviewed By: Paul B. Griggs, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.8/22/2008

Farsightedness Articles

  • 3 Ways to Identify Farsightedness

    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 t...

  • 4 Ways to Detect Farsightedness

    farsightedness, medically known as hyperopia, is a condition that results from a flat cornea or short eyeball length. With farsightedness, light rays enter the retina before the eye is able to foc...

  • 3 Ways to Treat Farsightedness

    ...ctice prescribing lenses to correct for farsightedness. In the most simple cases, the problem can be solved with a one-time corrective lens prescription. Eyeglasses, contact lenses, monovision l...

  • 3 Ways to Prevent Farsightedness

    ...very year. By searching for symptoms of farsightedness and nipping them in the bud, you decrease the likelihood of getting into an accident or otherwise suffering as a result of an undiagnosed c...

Show More

Farsightedness Images

Related Diseases

  • Farsightedness

    Farsightedness is difficulty seeing objects that are nearby.

  • Astigmatism

    Astigmatism is an eye disorder in which the cornea (the clear tissue covering the front of the eye) is abnormally cur...

  • Amblyopia

    Amblyopia, or "lazy eye," is the loss of one eye's ability to see details. It is the most common cause of vision prob...

  • Strabismus

    Strabismus is a disorder in which the eyes do not line up in the same direction when focusing. The condition is more ...

Related Surgeries

  • Refractive corneal surgery

    Your surgeon will place numbing drops in your eye so you do not feel pain during surgery. The exact type of surgery d...

  • LASIK eye surgery

    For clear vision, the eye's cornea and lens must bend (refract) light rays properly, so that images are focused on t...

Related Tests

  • Refraction test

    The refraction test is an eye exam that measures a person's prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

  • Home vision tests

    Home vision tests measure the ability to see fine detail.

Conversations On Farsightedness

  • Way off topic: Lasik

    I see this was brought up.  Honestly, I've been considering having Lasik surgery.  What's holding me back?  Well, when I was 13 years old (back in the days of the dinosaurs....lol) I...

    • Posted On October 24, 2008 07:54:01 PM

      ...sentially trade my nearsightedness with farsightedness. So I would have to wear glasses to read things. This may be due to my eysight and just me, but I went in thinking that Lasik would cur... Read More

    • Posted On October 25, 2008 05:33:14 AM

      .... I would love to have it done but I'm farsighted and older so don't think it would help me. Read More

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Farsightedness Images

Members Who Dare

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Talk

vnpapa: The Avatar, 3D film was most effective for farsightedness caused by aging. From the biginning, tears went down for labor on eye muscles.

rathinikesh: - MNS is so true to its name. It is all for "nav-nirman" but for that you need to "destroy the existing". Appreciate the farsightedness.

NerdAshes: What Is Long-sightedness Or Farsightedness? What Is Hyperopia? http://digg.com/u1PvOy

geektheking: Lasik Astigmatism Correction: Astigmatism may accompany farsightedness or nearsightedness. Usually it is caused ... http://bit.ly/aniN1L

anilkohli54: Answered a Question " Is Business foresight / farsightedness a genetic gift, or acquired?" on peerpower.com http://bit.ly/ceLOQ8



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