Hyperopia
- Giving You a Headache?

Hyperopia, also known as long sightedness, is a condition in which a person can see well at long distances, but not so good up close. Small amounts of this condition may not be noticed at all. The larger the degree, the greater the difficulty concentrating on near tasks. If you have quite a large degree, you may also have blurry distance vision.

This is because in the relaxed eye of a hyperopic person, the image you see is actually focused behind the retina. Small amounts can be compensated for by focusing (accommodating) the eyes.

Larger amounts become uncomfortable, leading to eyestrain and headaches, even if the print looks clear. The issue for these people is stamina. The longer they have to focus, the more difficult it becomes.

To feel this effect for yourself: try to read a book while holding it only 10cm from your face!

What can you do about it?

Your Optometrist has many things to consider when making a decision about treating long sightedness. Symptoms are very important. In general, people who are only slightly long sighted do not have problems. Where they do get symptoms, they may benefit from eye exercises or need spectacles, mainly for high demand tasks such as reading and using computers for long hours.

If you are already getting eyestrain and headaches when concentrating on close work like reading, computer or needlework then you will benefit from glasses or contact lenses to take the strain off your eyes.