Seeing Near and Far – The Story of Myopia and Hyperopia

Seeing Near and Far – The Story of Myopia and Hyperopia

Seeing Near and Far – The Story of Myopia and Hyperopia

myopia control

Near-sightedness (myopia) and far-sightedness (hyperopia) are common eye problems that typically begin to show themselves as children reach adolescence. This is why you suddenly see so many pairs of eyeglasses appear on fourth to fifth grade faces and in the school lost and found.

How the eye works

You probably learned this in grade school but here is a refresher.

The lens of your eye is like a magnifying glass. If you have ever used one, you know you have to balance the distance between the magnifier and the object to bring it into focus. This is exactly how your eye works.

Light enters your pupil, that black dot in the center of your eye. This is an opening that constantly opens and closes to adjust the amount of light entering the eye. The image formed by the light bouncing off objects streams through the pupil and goes through a lens, just like a lens on a telescope or a camera.

This may be where you remember the image flips upside down.

The image then reaches the retina, the back of the eye. This acts as a movie screen. If the eyeball is the correct length from front to back and the cornea curved as it should be, the image will hit the retina at the perfect distance to keep it sharp and in focus.

When the eye doesn’t work right

However, the eye cannot be as flexible as you are with your magnifier. It can’t move the lens very far one way or another so the lens can reach the proper balance. It pretty much wants to focus that image at the same distance every time, to the place evolution determined the image capture should be.

In both myopia and hyperopia, the problem is caused by a change in the shape of the eyeball. The eyeball becomes either abnormally shorter or longer, or the cornea is incorrectly curved. The image is no longer focused at the optimal distance.

Myopia

This is where you can see clearly up close but objects in the distance get fuzzy. Depending on the severity, someone who is nearsighted may only be able to clearly focus on objects less than 10 inches away. The farther away the object is, the fuzzier it gets until only a colorful blob is visible. Another person may not need corrective lenses at all because he can see clearly at enough distance to be safe operating a vehicle or other distance vision activities.

About 30% of Americans have some degree of myopia. While there is some research showing a hereditary component, it is also being attributed to the type of close-in work that so many of us do: screen time on computers, tablets, and smart phones; jobs requiring work with tiny components; and other activities. Of course, there is also an impact from chronic disease and stress.

Good news: myopia is easily corrected with lenses.

  • Eyeglasses with custom made lenses that focus light on the right place within your eye since the lens can’t do it alone.

  • Contact lenses that act similarly to glasses.

  • Refractive surgical procedures such as LASIK®, which reshapes your cornea to correct focus.


Hyperopia 

Less common than myopia, hyperopia aka farsightedness occurs in about 5-10% of Americans. Many do not know they have it because, unless it is severe, there is little impact on their lives.

Hyperopia occurs when the eyeball is too short from front to back. The true focal point of an image would be behind the area where the retina is. It would be like having a projector clearly focused behind a screen. The onscreen images would be blurry.

When hyperopia occurs in younger children, the growth of the eye often corrects the problem on its own. Otherwise, vision correction, when needed, can be done with corrective lenses, either in eyeglasses or contact lenses. Refractive surgery may also be helpful.

Neither myopia nor hyperopia is considered an eye disease. It is simply caused by abnormally shaped corneas and eyeballs and can be easily corrected with refractive treatment. This means wearing glasses, contact lenses, or getting surgery.

The best way to learn if you or your child have a problem with either of these issues is to have regular, annual eye exams to determine vision problems and to provide the appropriate treatment.

Eyeglasses are available in a broad variety of frame styles and lenses. No worries about being a “four-eyes.” It’s people who don’t need glasses that are becoming jealous. Contact lenses are more comfortable and safe than ever before. And refractive surgery has become mainstream.

Have your vision checked by a reputable eye doctor, discuss all your options, and, if you decide you want eyeglasses, allow trained opticians help you select the best frames.