How to Cure Farsightedness: Glasses, LASIK or Eye Exercises for Hyperopia?

Hyperopia, also commonly known as farsightedness is a common condition related to vision in which a person can clearly see distant objects, but is unable to properly focus on objects nearby, as they may appear blurry. Hyperopia is a condition that is usually present at birth and may also run in families. Occasionally, children may outgrow hyperopia as the eye changes. It is important to note that hyperopia or farsightedness is not the same as presbyopia, which refers to the gradual reduction of near vision in aging people.

The degree of farsightedness measures your ability to focus. Severe farsightedness may allow people to see objects at a greater distance away than those people with mild farsightedness who can only properly see objects that are closer. Farsightedness can easily be corrected using prescription eye glasses or contact lenses. Surgery can also be done to resolve the symptoms of the condition.

Hyperopia Symptoms

A person with farsightedness may experience the following symptoms:

• Impaired vision: objects nearby appear blurry
• The person has to squint his eyes in order to see objects more clearly
• Eyestrain: aching around the eyes and burning eyes
• General eye discomfort after doing prolonged intervals of tasks that involve looking at close objects — such as reading, drawing, writing or computer work
• The person may have chronic headaches or headaches after performing close tasks such as reading, computer work or writing

Hyperopia Causes

The eye consists of two parts that play a role in focusing images:

• Cornea. The clear surface of the eye on the front that allows light to pass through
• Lens. A clear structure located inside the eye, which is responsible for focusing objects by changing its shape

The cornea and lens possess a smooth curvature that allow incoming light to refract (bend) in such a way that a sharply focused image is made on the retina, located at the back of the eye.

Refractive Error

A perfectly structured eyeball consists of a cornea and lens with a smooth curvature resembling that of a rubber ball. This allows sharp images to be directly formed on the retina. However, if the cornea or lens is not smoothly or evenly curved, the light rays passing through the eye may not get refracted properly, thus resulting in a refractive error. Far sightedness is therefore, a type of refractive error.

Hyperopia is a condition in which the cornea is not adequately curved or the eye is not the right size i.e. it is shorter than normal. Therefore, instead of an image being focused on the retina, the image is produced behind the retina, forming a blurry image of an object that is nearby. The further the object is, the closer the object will be focused on to the retina; this is why objects that are far, appear to be clearer to farsighted people.

When to Seek Medical Help

See an eye doctor if the degree of farsightedness in your eye is high enough to interfere with daily activities and tasks you wish to perform. You should also see a doctor if your vision impairment is preventing you from enjoying certain activities you wish to perform. Your doctor will then determine the degree of farsightedness and recommend treatment options to correct your vision problems.

Correcting Farsightedness with Glasses or Contacts

Farsightedness is a normal condition – it is not a disease – therefore, many people with hyperopia do not need treatment. A farsighted eye is healthy and normal, but it can be corrected using glasses or contacts, if needed.

Farsightedness is a condition in which light is not refracted properly onto the retina of the eye due to the unevenness of the cornea or lens. Corrective lenses can fix this by refocusing light so that the image is formed directly on the retina. Many people with farsightedness resort to wearing eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct their vision. Both methods do not come with any side effects; therefore they are not only effective, but safe too.

There are a variety of prescription eyeglasses available, which include bifocals, trifocals and reading lenses. Contact lenses are available in soft, hard, disposable, extended wear, bifocal and rigid gas permeable. Familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of the types of contact lenses and seek advice from your doctor about which one would be best suited for you.

Wearing prescription eyeglasses or lenses is also a less risky and inexpensive way to correct your vision, in contrast to surgery, which is a much expensive form of treatment. If you see an eye doctor to correct your vision with eyeglasses or lenses, he will prescribe lenses specifying both power and shape of the lens required. Some people complain that eyeglasses do not give them the same quality of peripheral or central vision as contact lenses do.

In young people lenses are not always required as their eyes are flexible enough to balance the condition. However, as people age, their lenses become less flexible and there will come a time when they will need corrective lenses to fix their vision problems.

Hyperopia Treatment with Laser Eye Surgery

Most surgical procedures are conducted to correct nearsightedness however; they are also used for hyperopia or farsightedness. Refractive surgery procedures correct farsightedness by restructuring and reshaping the smooth curvature of the cornea. This will promote clear distant vision by allowing light to be properly refracted onto the retina to form a clear and sharp image of a distant object.

Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis or LASIK is a surgical refractive procedure conducted by an ophthalmologist (eye surgeon). The surgery is carried out by first making a thin, circular hinged flap in the form of a cut, into the cornea of the eye. The eye surgeon will then use a laser called an excimer laser to effectively remove corneal layers from the central region of the cornea. This will steepen and enhance the cornea’s curved shape. An excimer laser is different from other lasers as it does not produce heat. The surgery will correct the lack of curvature or unevenness of the cornea so that the person can see far objects more clearly. Once the eye surgeon is done using excimer laser, he will reposition the corneal flap cut.

Some possible negative outcomes of refractive surgery may include:

• Infection
• Undercorrection or overcorrection of the vision problem
• Side effects related to vision such as a starburst or halo occurring around bright lights
• Vision loss may occur, but this is very rare

It is imperative that you talk about the potential risks of eye surgery with your eye doctor before taking any treatment steps.

How to Cure Farsightedness with Eye Exercises

Aside from traditional cures such as eyeglasses, contact lenses and refractive eye surgery that correct farsighted vision problems, there are also a wide variety of eye exercises that can be performed to reduce the symptoms of farsightedness and improve your vision in a healthier, low-risk way.

Blinking and Relaxation

Eye exercises aim at encouraging the eyes to focus properly in order to help them relax, to reduce eyestrain. One way to relax your eyes is to cover them with your hand while keeping both eyes open. Cover the eyes properly and tightly so that it is completely dark. This can be carried out for 1-30 minutes depending on how much time you have to perform eye exercises.

Another proven way to relax your eye is by blinking throughout the day. This will reduce stress in your eyes as blinking keeps the eye lubricated and thus, prevents drying and strain. To perform this exercise, you must blink as fast as you can, at least 25 times a day to keep your eyes well-lubricated. If you choose to go slower, keep your eyes closed for 4 seconds and keep them opened for another 4 seconds.

Stretching

This will not only strengthen the muscles around your eyes, but also make your eye exercises more effective. An eye stretching exercise can be done by tightly squeezing your eyes shut for 3 seconds, after which you are allowed to open them. This will promote nutrients to enter the eye and encourage circulation.

Another way to stretch your eyes can be looking as far as possible to the right and then to the left. After doing this, you have to look far up and far down, as much as you can. Repeat three times. For best results, perform these exercises for at least 5 minutes per day.

Flexibility

This exercise concentrates on your focal flexibility to allow the eye to easily change from near vision to far vision. Select a focal point about 20 feet away. Sit at a point from where you can clearly view the object from this distance. This can be a chair, a table, window or car – anything that is around 20 feet away. Now, hold your index finger 6 inches away from your face and concentrate on the finger. Next, change your focus from your finger to the object you chose 20 feet away. This will allow your eyes to quickly change focus from a near object to a distant one. The exercise will promote your eyesight to properly allow the transition from a near distance to far distance to improve your vision. Repeat this exercise by looking at the near object and then focusing on the far object by performing the cycle 20-30 times. Once you are adjusted to the exercise after several weeks, you may increase the repetitions to 40-50 times.