Hyperopia Or Farsightedness at Early Age

Introduction to Hyperopia

Hyperopia is the medical term for farsightedness (Carpenter & Grigorian, n.d.). Hyperopia is when people have difficulty seeing objects up close, but are able to see distant objects clearly (National Eye Institute, n.d.). Activities such as sewing, typing, or reading can be troublesome and may cause blurry vision or eye strain. Hyperopia affects roughly 5–10 percent of the adult population in the United States (Garin, n.d.). Ordinarily, images should be focused on the retina. With hyperopia, the focal point of the image is behind the retina, so a blurry image is sent to the brain (Garin, n.d.).

Hyperopia or Farsightedness at an Early Age

Most children are born with some level of hyperopia; however, this condition usually corrects itself by around five years of age. When it doesn’t self-correct, hyperopia becomes problematic. Children become farsighted due to an abnormality in eye refraction. Several factors contribute to hyperopia. The cause of refraction abnormality in children's eyes may be due to the fact that the axis of vision is short due to nature. The axis of the eye is the length of the eyeball from the cornea to the retina, and if it is short, it becomes a state likely to be hyperopic. In addition, hyperopia can be caused by heredity (Hasegawa, n.d.).

A child with poor eyesight since birth may believe that blurry vision is normal, so they might not express that they cannot see things clearly, making it challenging to identify hyperopia. Additionally, our eyes possess the ability to adjust focus, especially in children, where this accommodative power is significant. Therefore, even if hyperopia is present, it might not seem inconvenient. Regular eye examinations are crucial, as they reveal that despite apparent normalcy in daily life, the eyesight might not be adequate. If a child's eyesight seems somewhat good, their eyes constantly exert effort to thicken the lens for focus. Consequently, this can lead to easy fatigue, headaches, difficulty in sustaining fine work such as reading and drawing, and symptoms like lack of concentration. Attempting to focus might also result in an inward perspective (Nishino, n.d.).

Correction and Management of Hyperopia

Corrective lenses, such as glasses or contact lenses, can compensate for hyperopia by altering the focal point of light waves to fall directly on the retina. This is achieved by refracting the light wave outward. Refractive surgery that permanently changes the shape of the cornea can provide refractive correction for mild to moderate hyperopia. It is important to note that sometimes hyperopia occurs after refractive surgery for myopia, also known as nearsightedness, as a result of hyperopia correction. Eye experts quantify refraction correction using a unit called diopter. In the case of hyperopia, the expression of the diopter is a positive number. Unlike corrective lenses for myopia, lenses for hyperopic vision have an enlarged appearance, making the eyes appear larger. Hyperopia can naturally correct as a child grows if the axis of vision lengthens (Garin, n.d.).

Conclusion

In conclusion, children are more likely to experience hyperopia because many are born with some level of the condition. A child with hyperopia may perceive blurry vision as normal, making it difficult to recognize the issue, potentially affecting the child's life. However, hyperopia can be corrected through corrective lenses or may naturally improve as children grow.

References

Carpenter, N., & Grigorian, P. (n.d.). Hyperopia. Retrieved from [source]

Garin, M. (n.d.). Understanding Hyperopia. Retrieved from [source]

Hasegawa, T. (n.d.). The Reason for Hyperopia. Retrieved from [source]

National Eye Institute. (n.d.). Facts About Hyperopia. Retrieved from [source]

Nishino, S. (n.d.). Child Hyperopia. Retrieved from [source]