Hyperopia: When Should You Wear Your Glasses?

Hyperopia is a visual anomaly responsible for poor near vision, and possibly also poor distance vision, in cases of severe hyperopia or after the age of 40.

The image of an object, which normally forms on the retina, forms behind the retina because the eye is too short. 

For mild hyperopia and before the age of 40, the crystalline lens compensates by accommodating continuously; the image then forms on the retina.

Vision is satisfactory, but prolonged accommodation can cause headaches.

With age, the lens has more difficulty accommodating, and the farsighted person begins to see blurrily up close, and then at a distance, as the lens no longer functions as well.

If hyperopia causes little or no discomfort when one is young, it becomes increasingly bothersome with age. 

Hyperopia is corrected with eyeglass lenses or a converging lens, which compensates for the anomaly. 

Currently, most cases of hyperopia can be surgically corrected for patients who no longer wish to wear glasses or contact lenses.