Hypermetropia

Hypermetropia: refractive condition of the eye in which distant objects are focused behind the retina when the accommodation is relaxed. Thus, vision is blurred.

What is Hypermetropia

Hypermetropia  is the technical name for long sightedness. If you are longsighted, your ability to see objects that are close up is affected.

So we know that Myopia, (short sightedness) is when the eyeball is too long.

Hyperopia is when the eyeball is too short, so when a ray of light is passed through, it goes past the retina, causing the image to be focused at the back of the eye.

How is Hypermetropia Treated?

Long sightedness is usually treated with corrective lenses such as contact lenses or glasses, as with shortsightedness.

Laser surgery can also be used, but it is not suitable for children as the eye is still growing.

Complications of long-sightedness

Long sightedness also has its complications, however these are usually very rare in adults

In severe cases of  hyperopia the eye may 'over-focus' leading to double vision.  This can lead to either

• crossed eyes (strabismus), where the eyes are not properly aligned with each other and focus on different things
• lazy eye (amblyopia), where one eye becomes dominant over the other