Farsightedness is a refractive error that manifests itself in blurred near vision and is frequently accompanied by headaches. The digital overload of vision through prolonged exposure to screens during professional activities involving work on a computer or laptop has increased since the pandemic period, and it is estimated that the average adult spends at least 7 hours a day in front of a monitor.
Difference between myopia and hyperopia
The difference between presbyopia and hyperopia
Recovery after hypermetropia surgery
In addition to the need to use computers at work, leisure and entertainment activities also include, in most cases, exposure to the screen of a mobile phone, tablet or laptop, which overloads the eyesight and promotes the development of refractive errors.
Population groups at increased risk of developing refractive errors such as hyperopia caused by prolonged exposure to screens include adults of both sexes aged 35-54.
The technological learning processes of the last decade, however, increase the exposure to screens and children can develop various refractive defects over time, including:
- Myopia
- Hyperopia
- Astigmatism
What is hyperopia?
Hyperopia is a light refraction defect that causes images to be projected incorrectly onto the surface of the retina, resulting in blurred vision at both distance and near. Hyperopia is mainly manifested by blurred near vision, but sometimes also by distance vision. Hyperopia requires the use of plus diopters to correct the refractive error.
Depending on the values of the diopters required to effectively correct the refractive error, hyperopia can be:
- Mild hyperopia – requires correction with diopters up to +3
- Moderate hyperopia – requires correction with diopters that can range from +4 to +6
- Severe hyperopia – requires correction with diopters greater than +6
Causes of farsightedness
Hyperopia is a vision disorder with a predominantly genetic determinism, the condition being caused by the physiological existence of a reduced anteroposterior ocular diameter, a cornea with a small radius of curvature or a lens pushed to the back of the eye.
Some people have physiologically low hyperopia from birth, but the refractive error can be corrected spontaneously as the child gets older, without the need for correction with contact lenses or glasses.
Difference between myopia and hyperopia
Unlike hyperopia, which affects near vision, myopia is a refractive error that prevents objects from focusing at a distance.
Myopia requires correction with minus diopters to improve distance vision and the patient’s quality of life by reducing the associated symptoms.
Positive diopter lenses are used to correct farsightedness, but after the age of 40, a second method of correction for distance vision, using minus spectacles, may become necessary.
To prevent the need for two pairs of glasses for near and far vision, your ophthalmologist may recommend that patients with farsightedness use progressive lenses that improve both reading and focusing on distant objects.
The difference between presbyopia and hyperopia
Presbyopia is an ophthalmological condition due to physiological aging that occurs secondary to loss of lens elasticity. People diagnosed with presbyopia focus on the image behind the retina (rather than on the retina) and have difficulty seeing close-ups. The loss of lens flexibility causes the light rays entering the eyeball to focus poorly, resulting in blurred vision in people with presbyopia.
Unlike farsightedness, presbyopia is not a light refraction defect, as the physiological aging of the lens causes a gradual decrease in vision in older people.
Hyperopia Symptoms
The main symptoms of hyperopia are:
- Blurred near vision
- Blurred vision especially in low-light conditions
- Headaches associated with near activities
- Pain or a feeling of tension in the eyes
- Reading is slurred due to difficulty in keeping the line and focusing
Hyperopia in children can lead to decreased school performance secondary to difficulty acquiring new information through reading. In children, farsightedness is frequently manifested by headaches and a tendency to rub the child’s eyes during near activities.
How to correct farsightedness
Eyeglasses and contact lenses are the first treatment options for people with farsightedness and are prescribed by the ophthalmologist according to the needs and physiological characteristics of each individual patient.
Optical correction of farsightedness frequently involves the wearing of spherical plus lenses. It should be noted that in amblyopic patients with low vision, reducing diopters will not always be accompanied by an improvement in vision (hyperopia is not completely cured, but glasses can reduce the manifestations associated with this refractive error).
Surgical procedures used to reduce diopters in patients with hyperopia are recommended after the second decade of life, once the development and maturation processes of the eyes are completed.
Hyperopia surgery
Refractive surgery aims to reduce the patient’s diopters and frequently involves the use of a laser to reshape the cornea (the physiological lens of the eye that focuses the image).
This minimally invasive procedure is aimed at people diagnosed with farsightedness who require correction with diopters between +3 and +4. The surgical procedure involves the removal of the first layer of the cornea in order to stimulate its regeneration through physiological re-epithelialization. After the partial removal of the cornea, it is later remodeled with the help of the surgical laser, in order to obtain an effective correction of the patient’s diopters.
In the event that the diopters exceed the value of +4, the ophthalmologist can recommend the patient to have a customized artificial lens implant in order to correct the refractive error.
The artificial lens implant involves positioning a lens inside the eye through a small incision made in the posterior part of the iris (the colored part of the eye) and anterior to the lens, which does not require subsequent closure by suture. The role of the artificial lens implant is to focus the light rays from the retina and to reduce the patient’s symptoms by obtaining clear images.
In certain situations, after this surgical intervention, vision can be improved by up to 50% compared to the one before the operation, with a considerable improvement in the quality of life, especially in elderly patients.
Recovery after hypermetropia surgery
After refractive surgery, it is necessary to wear bandages or special contact lenses for a period of several days, during which drops can be administered to reduce inflammation and anti-algesics to reduce postoperative pain.
In the first 2 days after hypermetropia surgery, it is recommended to avoid contact with water during showering or swimming, intense physical activity, the use of decorative cosmetics for the eyes (shadow, mascara, mascara) and make-up removers.
In the first post-interventional days, the patient may notice an additional decrease in the quality of vision and the appearance of dry eye syndrome, but this symptomatology is temporary and can be improved with the help of eye drops prescribed by the ophthalmologist.
Reference:
- Hypermetropia, G. Chaine, S. Laigner, L. Nicolon
- Refractive change in hyperglycaemia: hyperopia, not myopia, P.R. Eva, P.T. Pascoe, D.G. Vaughan
- Risk Factors for Hyperopia and Myopia in Preschool Children: The Multi-Ethnic Pediatric Eye Disease and Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Studies, Science Direct | Ophthalmology
- The Impact of Hyperopia on Academic Performance Among Children: A Systematic Review, Journal of Ophthalmology
