Eyes: Hyperopia
Hyperopia is the exact opposite of myopia or, to say it another way, farsightedness is the exact opposite of nearsightedness. Farsighted people can see objects located far away without a problem but have difficulty seeing things close up. The reason for this is their eyeballs are shorter than what is required to have perfect vision, allowing them to see things far away clearly.
Hyperopia Symptoms
As with myopia, the main symptom of hyperopia is blurred vision. People who are farsighted have difficulty with tasks such as reading, writing, sewing and other things that occur right in front of the body. These people often hold things at arms length in order to see them properly and may still have difficulties.
Other common symptoms of hyperopia include bad night vision and frequent headaches from straining to see objects. Many times these people will experience achy eyes and eyestrain. They may also have to read the same line over and over again in a book because they have trouble tracking across a single line and then the next line, and so forth.
It is important for parents to watch their children closely for signs of farsightedness. If the child has a hard time reading, rubs his or her eyes frequently or complains of headaches, it is time to schedule an appointment with an eye care physician. As always, it is a good idea to schedule regular checkups with an eye doctor to maintain eye health even when symptoms are not present. Taking care of your eyes is important because they are the only pair you will ever have in your lifetime.