Hypermetropia: what is it, weak, medium and high degrees of farsightedness, treatment

Hypermetropia or farsightedness is a visual impairment, expressed in the fact that a person clearly sees objects located at a distance from him and at the same time he has difficulty viewing closely located objects.

When talking about the proximity of the objects in question, it is meant that they are located at a distance of no more than 30 cm from the eyes. Hypermetropia is one of the manifestations of refractive error, in which refracted light rays are focused behind the retina. As a result, the inverted reduced image is built not on the retina of the eye, but behind it, which makes it unclear and with blurred contours.

Classification

According to the mechanism of development, hypermetropia is divided into two types:

Axial (axial) - occurs when the anteroposterior axis of the eyeball is shortened.
Refractive – occurs when the optical media of the eye become clouded. As a result, the refractive power of the eye suffers.

Depending on the period of onset, farsightedness occurs:

Congenital;
Natural physiological in children under 3 years of age;
Age-related or presbyopia.

In addition, farsightedness can be latent (when the refractive error is compensated by overstrain of the ciliary muscle) and obvious (when compensatory mechanisms are either absent or exhausted).

Types of farsightedness

According to the type of development of the disease, it can be divided into axial hyperopia (axial), which is caused by shortening of the eye, as well as refractive hypermetropia, which develops against the background of a decrease in the ability of the lens and cornea to refract.

If refractive errors are compensated through accommodation tension, then the term “hidden hypermetropia” exists. If the patient cannot independently correct his pathology and he needs to use convex lenses, then farsightedness is recognized as obvious. Gradually, as the body ages, even hidden hypermetropia becomes obvious.

Based on the age of onset, farsightedness is classified into physiological (occurs in newborns), congenital (pathological farsightedness due to weak refraction), and age (presbyopia). According to the severity in diopters, hypermetropia is divided into 3 degrees - high (from 5 diopters), medium (2-5 diopters), weak (up to 2 diopters).

Degrees of farsightedness

According to the degree of refractive error, farsightedness is divided into:

Weak (up to +2 diopters);
Medium (up to +5 diopters);
High (more than +5 diopters).

Weak

Mild hypermetropia, what is it - visual impairment within 3 diopters. Most often, children and young people suffer from this disease. Hypermetropia of this degree is very dangerous, as it often does not manifest itself at all.

In addition, young people have the ability to clearly see objects at different distances, and therefore they simply do not notice the symptoms. Every year, visual accommodation becomes weaker, and visual acuity decreases.

With a weak degree of farsightedness, near vision is slightly reduced , the patient has a headache due to visual stress, and there is a burning sensation in the eyes. Inflammatory diseases often occur: chalazion, blepharitis, inflammation of the conjunctiva, etc.

Why does farsightedness develop after 40 years of age? At this age, vision is impaired, a person cannot focus his gaze on nearby objects, therefore such ordinary activities as reading, working at the computer, threading a needle cause the eye muscles to greatly strain.

This process is natural for older people; it is impossible to stop its development, but it can be slowed down.

To do this, you need to perform special exercises, promptly correct and treat visual impairments.

If all these points are followed, the unpleasant symptoms of hypermetropia will disappear: headache, blurred vision, excessive secretion of tear fluid.

Adolescents and young adults also suffer from mild hypermetropia, in this case this phenomenon is a physiological norm.

After a maximum of 3 years, visual acuity returns to normal. However, during the period of exacerbation of visual impairment, the following symptoms are noted:

Difficulty focusing while reading or looking at small images;
Headache, dizziness;
Convergent strabismus (squint);
Chronic inflammation of the conjunctival membrane;
Chronic blepharitis.

Timely diagnosis will help maintain visual acuity.

Convergent strabismus is characteristic only of young people who strain their eyes excessively when trying to look at nearby objects.

How to cure mild farsightedness - you need to wear corrective glasses, thanks to which you will not overstrain your eyes. Comprehensive treatment includes taking vitamin and mineral complexes, performing eye exercises for farsightedness, and conducting physiotherapeutic procedures. Surgery is not necessary at this stage of the disease.

Average

If the doctor did not notice the symptoms of mild hypermetropia and no treatment was carried out, then the disease enters the second stage. Moderate hypermetropia is a visual impairment with an accommodation index of 3 to 5 diopters. The disease occurs for various reasons.

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The patient clearly sees objects at a distance beyond arm's length ; when viewing nearby objects, the patient strains the lens to focus vision. The patient's eyes quickly become tired after reading, working at the computer, or trying to look at objects up close.

Inflammatory eye diseases often occur. One of the signs of hypermetropia is amblyopia (lazy eye syndrome) and strabismus (strabismus).

Visual acuity decreases, headaches often occur, and the person cannot concentrate.

Exacerbation of moderate hypermetropia can lead to dangerous complications, so treatment is absolutely necessary.

The most effective method of treating this stage of farsightedness is laser correction , but surgery is performed only in cases where other methods do not help. If there is a contraindication to the procedure, the patient is prescribed glasses or lenses to correct vision. Also, the patient should regularly perform gymnastic exercises for the eyes with farsightedness.

High

Incorrect diagnosis and treatment of initial hypermetropia often leads to the disease progressing to the second and third stages. High degree hypermetropia is a refractive error (refraction of light rays), in which the accommodation index is from 5 diopters.

This degree of the disease is characterized by pronounced symptoms. The patient loses the ability to see clearly both near and far. To examine an object, a person brings it closer to his eyes, the picture turns out blurry, but it is possible to understand what is in his hands.

This happens due to a change in the size of the image on the retina. With this degree of farsightedness, the ciliary (ciliary) muscle is in constant tension; it relaxes only during sleep.

Typical symptoms: headache due to visual tension, burning, dry eyes, etc. The diseased eye also changes in appearance, there is a decrease in the anterior chamber, narrowing of the pupil.

When treating farsightedness in adults, vision is permanently corrected using glasses . At this stage of the disease, laser correction cannot be avoided, but it is contraindicated for patients under 20 years of age.

Causes of farsightedness

The immediate cause of hypermetropia, as well as myopia (myopia), is a change in the refractive power of light rays compared to the length of the eyeball. But, unlike myopia, with farsightedness such phenomena are observed due to the weakness of the apparatus of accommodation and refraction of the eye or due to shortening of the eyeball.

Any of these two reasons can cause refracted rays to focus not on the retina, but behind it.

In some patients, the low refractive power of the cornea and lens occurs in combination with shortening of the eye itself.

There is also physiological, normal farsightedness. It has a degree of no higher than +2+4 diopters and is characteristic of small children, which is due to the small longitudinal dimensions of the axis of the eyeball. Its approximate length in this case is 16-17 mm. In a newborn child, hypermetropia often reaches 4 diopters.

If this indicator is higher, then the baby may have microphthalmos and other malformations of the visual organs, including colobomas of the optic nerve head, congenital cataracts, lenticonus, the initial stage of congenital glaucoma and others. In most cases, such children also have other deviations from the norm in the body - underdevelopment of fingers, ears, cleft lip or cleft palate, etc.

As the baby grows, the eye also grows in size, like his entire body. The length of the eyeball approaches 23-25 mm, and farsightedness disappears completely by the age of 12. During this same period, emmetropia, or natural proportional refraction, is formed. If the eye continues to enlarge, the child develops myopia.

If, on the contrary, the eye does not grow enough in size, the teenager suffers from farsightedness.

Before the development of the body is complete, more than half of people have signs of farsightedness, the rest have emmetropia or myopia.

It is not precisely established why the eye may lag behind the norm in growth. But most often, in farsighted people by middle age (up to 40 years), it is possible to completely compensate for refractive insufficiency by strong tension of the ciliary muscle, which maintains the convex shape of the lens. This increases its ability to refract light.

But with old age, the ability to accommodate falls again, so after 60 years, the eye’s potential for compensating for myopia ends.

This causes a decrease in visual acuity at any distance from objects.

At this age, symptoms of senile farsightedness (presbyopia) usually appear. The patient can correct visual acuity by wearing contact lenses or glasses with special collecting inserts, and therefore hypermetropia is indicated in plus diopters.

Farsightedness also develops in people with aphakia, a pathology accompanied by the absence of a lens. If this anomaly is not congenital, then aphakia occurs after cataract extraction, after injury to the lens. Since in the absence of this eye structure the refractive power of the eye is greatly reduced, the patient definitely needs compensatory correction or implantation of a special intraocular lens.

Symptoms of farsightedness

Clinical manifestations of hypermetropia depend on the degree of its severity. A mild degree is not accompanied by any symptoms except for eye fatigue while reading, writing, etc. Many people simply ignore this symptom and consult a doctor.

The average degree of hypermetropia is characterized by pain in the eyes when looking at close objects for a long time. At this stage, blurred vision begins to appear.

This is best noticeable while reading: the lines seem fuzzy and may even merge with each other. It becomes necessary to place the text away from the eyes so that the blurriness disappears.

A high degree of farsightedness is characterized by a significant decrease in vision.

Patients are bothered by a severe headache, a feeling of sand or a foreign object in the eyes. Some complain of a feeling of fullness in the eyes.

It has been noted that with farsightedness, relapses of chronic diseases (blepharitis, conjunctivitis, barley) occur more often.

With high degree hypermetropia in children, there is a high risk of developing convergent (concomitant) strabismus. This is due to the fact that the child, trying to see nearby objects, greatly overstrains the ciliary muscle and brings both eyes to the nose. Farsightedness at an early age can also cause amblyopia (weakness of eye accommodation).

Symptoms of the disease

With farsightedness, a person can only see poorly those objects that are close, or at the same time images that are far and close to him. While congenital pathology is practically asymptomatic, acquired farsightedness is characterized by the gradual development of the following symptoms:

Objects located nearby are not perceived as a clear picture.
While reading or working with small details, discomfort appears.
Visible objects appear double. Their shapes and sizes are distorted. This is typical for the concomitant course of farsightedness and astigmatism.

A person with farsightedness gets tired quickly, suffers from headaches, photophobia and lacrimation. He feels pain, stinging, burning in his eyes. These signs intensify in bright light.

Diagnosis of farsightedness

Farsightedness can be suspected at the stage of visometry - a study during which the doctor determines visual acuity using Sivtsev’s tables . The patient is asked to look at the table through trial plus lenses.

After visometry, ophthalmologists usually conduct the following studies:

Perimetry , or determination of visual fields.
Skiascopy , or shadow test. This test assesses the refractive ability of the eye.
Biomicroscopy . With its help, the doctor assesses the condition of the tear film, cornea and other structures of the eye.
Tonometry allows you to determine intraocular pressure. This study must be carried out in people of the older age group for the timely diagnosis of glaucoma.
Fundus ophthalmoscopy . During this study, the doctor evaluates the condition of the retina, intraocular blood vessels, and the optic nerve. With high degree hypermetropia, hyperemia (redness) and blurred contours of the optic nerve head are often detected.

In some cases, the ophthalmologist recommends an ultrasound examination of the eyes, magnetic resonance imaging, or vascular angiography. These are highly specific methods that are used to clarify complex diagnoses.

In young people and children, eye examination is usually carried out under conditions of cycloplegia - dilation of the pupil by instilling special drops (for example, atropine). This event allows us to identify cases of hidden hypermetropia.

Causes of hypermetropia

Most often, the development of hypermetropia is caused by the irregular shape of the eyeball, which is reduced in its longitudinal size. All children are born farsighted. As babies grow and, accordingly, their eyeballs, vision function gradually returns to normal. By the age of four, children usually have good vision both far and near.

Hypermetropia is often observed in older people. This is due to the fact that with age, the lens of the eye loses its ability to change curvature, i.e. to accommodation. This process begins at the age of 25, but leads to a deterioration in visual function only after a person reaches the age of 45–50 years. By the age of 60, the ability of the lens to accommodate is completely lost. In this case, they talk about senile farsightedness or presbyopia.

Complications

Failure to correct eye hypermetropia can cause a number of serious complications:

In childhood, amblyopia and strabismus may develop . Amblyopia (“lazy eye”) can later develop into myopia.
Decreased quality of life . Lack of correction of hypermetropia significantly limits a person’s daily activities. Difficulties will arise while reading, writing, or working at the monitor. Any work that requires eye strain will cause fatigue.
With hypermetropia, the outflow of intraocular fluid is impaired , and therefore there is a risk of developing glaucoma.

To prevent the occurrence of these complications, it is imperative to correct farsightedness. This is especially true for children, since vision problems can remain with them for life.

Symptoms

Symptoms of farsightedness include:

visual impairment;
rapid eye fatigue;
photophobia;
headache;
pain in the temples, on the bridge of the nose;
irritation, burning, redness of the eyes;
lacrimation;
often - general weakness and deterioration in performance.

The disease often begins with general symptoms such as headache and rapid fatigue when reading for a long time or working at a monitor. As the pathology progresses, the pain becomes more intense, and ocular manifestations occur. With advanced pathology, distant vision suffers in the same way as near vision.

Treatment and correction

There are several methods for restoring vision in case of farsightedness or correcting it. The easiest, fastest and most cost-effective way to correct farsightedness is to wear glasses . This is also the only way to correct hypermetropia in children. It is quite practical and absolutely safe.

Using contact lenses has some advantages over glasses: they are invisible to others and provide better vision. Children can use lenses starting from middle school age. The fact is that it will be difficult for a small child to follow all the rules for using contact lenses.

, hardware methods of correction are also useful : classes on the synoptophore, amblyocor and other software and computer techniques. In the complex treatment of childhood hypermetropia, physiotherapeutic methods are used, such as laser stimulation, magnetic therapy, and electrophoresis.

It is recommended to use perforation glasses while working at a monitor or watching television, as they reduce eye strain.

When the eye is fully formed (for most people this happens by the age of 20), laser vision correction can be performed. Today, interventions such as LASIK, Femto LASIK and SUPER LASIK are popular. Each of the methods is aimed at giving the cornea the necessary curvature, as a result of which the image will fall directly on the retina.

For certain indications, lensectomy (removal of the lens) and its replacement with a special intraocular lens, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), implantation of phakic lenses, thermokeratocoagulation, laser thermokeratoplasty can be performed.

How is hypermetropia treated?

Conservative treatment is possible only in childhood. In this case, the doctor’s task is to increase visual acuity, change the degree of the disease in a positive direction and prevent the development of amblyopia. To ensure that all the substances necessary for the normal development of vision reach the eyes, Taufon is prescribed. Emoxipin helps improve blood circulation and remove harmful substances from tissues. Irifrin's function is to relieve spasms and dilate the pupil. Taken together, these funds give positive dynamics in a short time. In adulthood, they are also prescribed, but to combat symptoms. Vision in adults can only be improved through correction.

Laser correction

Laser correction of farsightedness is preferred over other methods because of its safety and effectiveness. It is produced taking into account the characteristics of the retina, which gives maximum improvements. The procedure is performed on patients aged 18 to 50 years in case of farsightedness up to +5.0 diopters, including if it is complicated by astigmatic manifestations up to +3.0 diopters. If there are contraindications, laser correction is replaced by wearing glasses and contact lenses. The results of wearing glasses can be judged by reviews on the forums:

Microsurgery for farsightedness

If correction using optical devices and lasers does not produce a positive effect, doctors resort to an extreme method - they prescribe surgery. There are three types of surgery that can correct farsightedness:

Implantation of phakic lenses. The technique is characterized by attaching a special lens to the back wall of the cornea.
Radial keratotomy. The essence of the method is to make incisions on the cornea. After fusion, they change its shape, thereby affecting the refractive power.
Keratoplasty. It is a transplant of a donor cornea. It can be placed on the patient's cornea or completely replace it.

In most cases, farsightedness can be completely eliminated. Congenital pathology is sometimes accompanied by amblyopia or strabismus, but even in this case the patient has a favorable prognosis.

Physiotherapeutic treatment of farsightedness

With hypermetropia, the eye muscles are constantly tense, and therefore the risk of chronic spasm increases. Because of this, far and near vision sharply decreases, and most correction methods become ineffective.

To avoid such a situation, it is necessary to carry out hardware treatment that relieves spasm and trains the eye muscles. This is an excellent prevention of visual function.

Common physiotherapeutic procedures:

Transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation is a safe procedure that improves nutrition of the ciliary muscle and retina of the eye.
Low-level laser radiation is a procedure that uses an infrared laser. As a result of its action, inflammation disappears, the circulation of intraocular fluid accelerates, and blood flow in the vessels of the eye is restored.
Visual color stimulation is a drug-free procedure in which multi-colored light pulses are applied to the retina, lens, cornea and iris.

Vacuum massage, ultrasound therapy, electrical coagulation, and massage glasses are also used to treat hypermetropia. Physiotherapy is effective and can be combined with spectacle correction.

Diagnostics

Before starting treatment, a thorough vision diagnosis is necessary. No doctor will prescribe therapy based only on the patient’s subjective feelings. Diagnostics is intended to correctly determine hypermetropia as a diagnosis, identify its degree and individually select the necessary method of correction.

The simplest diagnostic method is visometry - determining visual acuity using posters with letters and sentences. The type of ametropia is also determined - farsightedness, nearsightedness or astigmatism.

The degree of hypermetropia is measured by refractometry. The essence of the method is the reflection of the light flux directed by the refractometer through the refractive systems of the eye by the retina. By adjusting the device, the doctor achieves the connection of light rays directly on the retina. Once the result is achieved, the required refractive power of the optical device is estimated. The shape, thickness and curvature of the cornea, lens opacity, intraocular pressure, the presence of injuries, foreign bodies and eye tumors are also measured.

Laser treatment

Hypermetropia can be cured using laser correction; the procedure is also effective for farsightedness, which is complemented by astigmatism. The doctor's goal is to change the shape of the cornea.

As a result of the change in the shape of the cornea, the refraction changes and the image of the object is focused on the retina. Using laser correction, you can correct vision with an accommodation index of up to 6 diopters.

Before laser correction, the doctor examines the visual system to assess the degree of hypermetropia and collects anamnesis.

Based on these studies, the doctor decides whether the operation can be performed on a particular patient or not.

Preoperative examination is an important point that allows us to identify indications and contraindications for the procedure.

The operation lasts a maximum of half an hour, there is no pain. In addition, the procedure is striking in its accuracy; with the help of modern equipment, you can pre-calculate the size of the eye after surgery, this allows you to avoid errors.

There are several methods of laser vision correction: Lasik, Epithelial Lasik, Super-Lasik, etc.

The decision on the choice of technique is made by the doctor after the research, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient.

Treatment of hypermetropia

The method of treating farsightedness is selected by the ophthalmologist taking into account the patient’s age, level of physical activity, degree of illness, type of work activity, and the presence or absence of concomitant pathology. It is currently impossible to cure farsightedness using conservative methods. Therefore, doctors may recommend either surgery or optical correction to their patients.

Optical correction is carried out using glasses or contact lenses. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Glasses are cheap, but they are not practical, not comfortable and are dangerous. Modern contact lenses allow you to achieve maximum visual acuity, are comfortable and safe. Their only drawback is the high price.

Special multifocal lenses are recommended for patients with presbyopia. With their help, excellent quality of vision is ensured at any distance. At the same time, the patient gets rid of the need to carry several glasses with him at the same time (for reading, for work, for distance viewing). In addition, a person can lead his usual lifestyle, play sports, and drive a car without any fear.

Surgical intervention for hypermetropia is usually prescribed in severe cases of the disease, when it is not possible to achieve full vision correction with glasses or contact lenses. Surgeries are usually performed only after the patient is over 18 years of age.

Depending on the characteristics of the course of hypermetropia, the patient may be indicated for various surgical techniques. All of them are aimed at restoring the optical power of the eyes, allowing refracted rays to be focused precisely on the retina, and not behind it. The most popular methods of surgical intervention for hyperopia at present are: implantation of a positive lens, thermokeratocoagulation, thermokeratoplasty, and replacement of a transparent lens.

Prevention

Like any other disease, farsightedness is easier to prevent than to correct. For the purpose of prevention, ophthalmologists recommend adhering to the following rules:

During work that requires concentration of vision, use only the correct lighting .
If your work involves sitting in front of a monitor for a long time, do not forget to take short breaks and give your eyes a rest.
Try not to read while on public transport . This is very tiring for the eyes.
Enrich your diet with vitamins that are good for the eyes - retinol and ascorbic acid. They are found in fresh carrots, spinach, blueberries, and citrus fruits.
To improve blood circulation in the eye, massage of the cervical-collar area is useful . You can also self-massage your eyes with light circular movements.
Don't forget about the importance of annual preventive examinations and visit your eye doctor at least once a year .

Prevention of hypermetropia

Prevention of the development of farsightedness consists of taking measures to create the most comfortable working conditions, as well as proper and balanced nutrition.

It is advisable to stay in front of a computer monitor for no more than two hours during the day, and at the same time it should be located at a distance of more than 40.0 cm from the eyes. You should also watch TV less than two hours a day, and you need to be more than two meters away from it. Currently, these restrictions can be somewhat expanded when using LCD/LED TVs and monitors.

During the working day, it is necessary to perform small eye exercises every two hours, which consists of shifting your gaze from nearby objects to distant ones. It is advisable that a nearby object be at a distance of 50.0 cm from you, and a far away object should be over 5.0 meters.

In addition, you should not stay in rooms with insufficient lighting for a long time or read while lying down. Timely detection of eye diseases and intracranial hypertension is also important for health.

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Diagnostic methods

For the treatment of pathology to be effective, its timely and accurate determination is required, so a visit to an ophthalmologist is indispensable. During the initial examination, the doctor will check your vision and will also be able to preliminarily determine the degree of hypermetropia. To make an accurate diagnosis, a referral is given to undergo a number of diagnostic measures, such as:

The list of examinations if this pathology is suspected may include ultrasound of the visual organs.

ophthalmoscopy;
visometry;
skiascopy;
autorefractometry;
assessment of lateral vision, eye movement, accommodation;
measurement of intraocular pressure;
examination of the retina and optic nerve;
Ultrasound of the eyes;
MRI, CT scan of the brain.

Current issues

I am 45 years old. My vision began to deteriorate; it had been good all my life. What could it be?

We are more likely to believe that you have presbyopia (age-related farsightedness). This eye condition occurs in all people usually after 40-50 years of age. Those who have not complained about their eyesight all their lives are no exception. For a person with age-related farsightedness (presbyopia), it becomes difficult to distinguish small objects close up, read newspaper print, etc. The solution to this problem is the selection of special glasses or surgery to replace the lens with an accommodating or multifocal lens.

What to do if glasses don't help?

We recommend that you undergo a full diagnostic examination, based on the results of which the doctor will determine the cause of decreased vision and, if necessary, select either stronger glasses or another correction method. It is important not to leave the problem unresolved.

My daughter is 4 years old, she was diagnosed with farsightedness (one eye +4, the other +5). How can you solve the problem without wearing glasses? Is it possible to do laser correction at such an early age?

At this age, excimer laser vision correction is not indicated: the growth of the eyeball continues, and its effect will be short-lived. It is necessary to wear glasses, since at this age this is the only way to avoid strabismus and decreased visual acuity. In addition, it is possible to carry out a therapeutic course of treatment, with the help of which you can preserve and improve the child’s visual acuity. It is necessary to undergo a diagnostic examination, after which the doctor will recommend the optimal course of treatment.

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Treatment

The simplest and safest way to treat and correct hyperopia is glasses . Farsightedness in children is mainly corrected with the help of glasses. Unfortunately, glasses, despite their safety, have many disadvantages:

They are easy to get dirty;
They fog up;
They may fall and break;
It is difficult to lead an active lifestyle in them.

In addition, wearing glasses limits lateral vision and disrupts the perception of space.

Glasses cannot provide 100% vision correction for hypermetropia.

If the glasses are chosen incorrectly, the eyes will constantly become overtired, and the disease will only progress. You can also correct your vision if you are farsighted using contact lenses.

Differences in visibility between farsightedness (hyperopia) and normal vision

They are usually used for hypermetropia, which is accompanied by amblyopia. Lenses can be prescribed to both children and adults. It should be remembered that the use of contact lenses may be accompanied by some inconveniences. For example, they can be felt on the eyes and cause discomfort.

As a result of wearing lenses, complications may arise: allergies manifested by redness of the eyes, infectious diseases caused by improper care, and so on.

But despite this, contact lenses are a good and convenient alternative to glasses for correcting hypermetropia. Farsightedness can be cured in another way - laser vision correction. This method is used to treat stable hypermetropia in people over eighteen years of age.

Advantages of laser farsightedness correction:

The operation restores vision to normal . There is no need for additional vision correction products.
Independence from glasses and contact lenses.

Two technologies are used to treat farsightedness with laser:

Photorefractive keratectomy is the removal of corneal tissue by evaporation.
Laser keratomileusis or LASIK is a combination of microsurgery and laser technologies. It is considered the most effective and safe method of laser correction.

Complications

Accommodative muscular asthenopia. It develops as a result of constant excessive stress of accommodation, which leads to eye fatigue, headaches and dizziness.
Blepharitis. It occurs due to wearing incorrectly selected glasses or lenses, which causes constant visual strain and the muscles of the eyelids spasm.
Strabismus. It is a consequence of hypertrophy of the eye muscles or the use of only conservative treatment of hypermetropia.
Amblyopia. This is the most severe complication that develops due to the fact that vision with farsightedness was not corrected with glasses or lenses.

Prevention

To prevent the development of hyperopia, it is necessary to protect the eyes from excessive strain. Therefore, when working with small objects or text, you need to create the right conditions:

The lighting should be sufficient to avoid annoying glare. Fluorescent lamps must not be used.
Breaks from work every thirty to forty minutes, during which you can sit with your eyes closed and relax, or do eye exercises.

You should not forget about eye exercises for farsightedness. You can read about it here.

Additional methods for preventing hyperopia are general strengthening of the body (contrast shower, massage, etc.) and a healthy, balanced diet.

Symptoms

A weak degree of farsightedness is quite often observed in young children and young people. It is hidden in nature and does not manifest itself in any way, because the eye muscles are still very mobile and elastic, their compensatory ability helps young people to see objects normally at various distances.

But due to the constant tension of the accommodative apparatus, the muscles gradually weaken, and near visual acuity decreases. As a result, signs of illness may appear.

The main symptoms of mild hypermetropia, both in children and adults, are:

Blurred images of objects at close range.
Copious, spontaneous, uncontrollable lacrimation.
Headaches after prolonged reading, writing, knitting.
Burning and stinging in the eyes.

In young people, a mild degree of the disease in the acute phase is accompanied by chronic inflammation of the conjunctiva, chronic blepharitis, and descending strabismus (strabismus).

Don't forget!

With a weak degree of farsightedness, distance and near vision is good, but there may be complaints of fatigue and headaches with significant visual loads. With moderate farsightedness, distance vision remains good, but near vision is difficult. With high hypermetropia, vision is poor both far and near, since all the capabilities of the eye to focus images on the retina, even of distant objects, have been exhausted.

If your child is doing poorly at school, is capricious, or experiences fatigue from visual stress, check to see if he has farsightedness. To do this, you need to urgently contact an ophthalmologist. Farsightedness is rarely detected during routine vision testing. Only a complete ophthalmological examination with testing of visual acuity, both at a distance and near, can reveal farsightedness and the degree of its development.

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Etiology

The appearance of farsightedness is associated with a decrease in the refractive ability of the eye. As a result, light rays that come from distant objects are focused not on the retina, but behind it. Mild hypermetropia is manifested by a slight decrease in near vision (up to +2). This type of farsightedness is very difficult to diagnose during routine medical examinations due to the hidden clinical picture. Subsequently, developing, a weak degree of hypermetropia leads to more serious problems. It becomes increasingly difficult for a person to work with small objects, read and write.

What is farsightedness

The perception of light waves by the eye is called refraction. This process is considered normal when most of the signals reach the retina, where primary information processing occurs. However, in some cases, refraction is impaired. Hypermetropia is a condition in which most of the light remains on the plane, not entering the retina. As a result, a pattern emerges - if objects are at a greater distance, more information about them is received.

The process can be compared to a camera - or rather, this photographic equipment is made by analogy with the human eye. Far focusing requires less “stress” than macro photography. With hypermetropia, a person has to strain his eyes in order to increase near refraction, and while at a young age this is not difficult to do, in older people the situation is complicated by a general weakening of the eye muscles, so the treatment of age-related farsightedness is considered more difficult.

Traditional medicine methods

Farsightedness is a serious problem that requires mandatory correction. If you do not follow the instructions of your doctor, the likelihood of negative consequences may be extremely high. Keep in mind that many experts do not recommend self-medication. You can use traditional medicine, but only with an integrated approach. The following recipes are the most popular:

Take 8 tablespoons of chopped rose hips, then pour them with a liter of boiling water. The resulting mixture must be placed on low heat and brought to a boil. Keep it on maximum for 15 minutes, then pour it into a thermos and leave for 5 hours. When the infusion has cooled, it must be strained and added 4 tablespoons of honey. Take a glass of medicine before each meal;
A kilogram of rose hips must be sorted out and then cleared of seeds. The mixture must be filled with 3 liters of water and left for several hours until softened. After this time, remove the fruits and grind them on a sieve. You need to add 2 cups of honey and 2 liters of boiling water to the mixture. Cook the mixture for a few minutes, then pour it into clean jars. Take the medicine 50 grams before meals;
Take 5 tablespoons of pre-chopped pine needles, then pour 0.5 liters of boiling water over them. Heat the mixture in a water bath for half an hour, then pour into a glass container and leave for half an hour to cool. Take a tablespoon of the decoction after each meal.

What symptoms are you worried about?

In preschool children, farsightedness is considered a normal condition. But if parents are concerned that the baby has difficulty seeing objects near him, it is worth visiting an ophthalmologist who will help establish compliance with the norms of visual function and age. If an accurate diagnosis is not made in a timely manner, latent farsightedness develops in children, which becomes obvious over time. Characteristic signs of a violation are:

Preschoolers with this disorder may complain of headaches.

rapid eye fatigue;
fatigue, headaches;
unclear vision of nearby objects;
periodically manifested strabismus (hypertropia);
often recurrent inflammatory diseases of the adnexa - conjunctivitis, blepharitis, barley.

Degrees of hypermetropia

Depending on the severity of visual impairment, three degrees of hypermetropia are distinguished:

Weak – up to +2 diopters; Difficulties may arise when working visually at close range.
Average – from +2 to +5 diopters; There are obvious difficulties with visual work at close range, distance vision may not deteriorate.
High – over +5 diopters, there is a pronounced decrease in vision (distance and near).

In the early stages of the disease, regular performance of special eye exercises provides a good therapeutic effect.

Spectacle lenses for hypermetropia correction

Glasses parameters

The easiest way to optically correct farsightedness (hyperopia) is with glasses. For this purpose, they must be equipped with convex (converging) spectacle lenses (see Fig. 1, c), which are indicated by the “+” sign. To correct hypermetropia, single-vision spectacle lenses are used that have the same optical power over their entire surface.

In order to make lenses for hypermetropia correction as light as possible, the following factors must be considered:

Frame parameters. The size of the light opening determines the diameter of the lenses, and the larger it is, the thicker the positive spectacle lens in the center, therefore, with moderate and high hyperopia, frames with large light openings should be avoided.
Finished lens size. The closer the size of the lens is to the size of the light opening of the frame, the thinner its thickness in the center.
Refractive index of lens material. Currently, the market offers spectacle lenses made from organic and mineral materials, the range of refractive index values of which is 1.49–1.76 and 1.52–1.90, respectively. The refractive index of the material determines how thick a lens of a certain optical power will be. Highly refractive lenses have flatter surfaces than lenses made from standard plastics. The smaller radius of curvature of both surfaces leads to a decrease in the central thickness and weight of high-diopter positive refractive eyeglass lenses.
Lens design. Next, we will consider this point separately.

Aspherical design

High-diopter positive-refraction spectacle lenses can be made even thinner and lighter by using an aspherical design. Aspherical design lenses (or aspherical) are lenses whose shape deviates to a greater or lesser extent from a sphere and which have parabolic or elliptical sections. Aspherical refractive surfaces improve the optical properties of lenses. Aspheric lenses, compared to spherical ones, are thinner, lighter, have a flatter base surface, provide an expanded field of clear vision and high quality vision in the peripheral zone. In addition, in glasses with aspherical lenses, the user sees the most natural image of the observed objects; these lenses do not enlarge the appearance of his eyes, so the finished glasses become aesthetically attractive. If both lens surfaces have an aspherical design, then they are called bi-aspherical. The use of an aspherical design on not only the front, but also the back surface further “flats” the spectacle lens and makes it 5-10% thinner than lenses with an aspheric design on the front surface only. Manufacturers produce aspherical and biaspherical lenses from materials with high (1.67) and ultra-high (from 1.74) refractive index values, which can significantly reduce the thickness of high-diopter lenses. The visual difference between the type of glasses with aspherical and spherical lenses is clearly demonstrated in Fig. 2.

Rice. 2. Visual comparison of aspherical (left) and spherical (right) positive spectacle lenses by thickness

Lenticular design

Lenses are called lenticular, in which only the central zone is represented with the required optical power and is working, while the periphery serves only as its basis. These lenses have a standard size diameter, and the peripheral zone and edges are thick enough to be inserted into the frame. The interface between two zones is often smoothed to avoid unwanted optical effects. A combination of lenticular and aspherical designs is used by many manufacturers in the manufacture of spectacle lenses for the correction of high degrees of hypermetropia. Thus, the Carl Zeiss Vision company produces aspherical lenticular lenses Zeiss Single Vision Aphal 1.5 in the Sph refraction range from +5.25 to +23.00 D with a cylinder up to 5.00 D (Fig. 3****).

Rice. 3. Lenticular lenses Zeiss Single Vision Aphal 1.5 from Zeiss Vision Care for the correction of high hypermetropia:

1 – smoothed transition to the peripheral zone; 2 – optical zone – aperture

What's happening?

In order for the eye to see normally, the image of objects must be focused on the retina. With farsightedness, this point of the ideal image moves away and is located, as it were, behind the retina. As a result, a person sees the picture in a slightly blurred form.

The rays coming from distant objects are parallel, and those coming from nearby objects are divergent. Farsighted eyes cope poorly with the latter. Thus, a person sees worst of all at close range and much better at distance.

The cause of farsightedness may be:

reduced size of the eyeball;
weak refractive power of the cornea due to its insufficient curvature;
deep-set lens;
pupil dilation;
spasm of accommodation;
weakening of the ability of the lens to change curvature (with presbyopia);

With age, vision, especially near vision, increasingly deteriorates due to a decrease in the accommodative ability of the eye due to age-related changes in the lens - the elasticity of the lens decreases, the muscles that hold it weaken, and as a result, vision decreases. This is why age-related farsightedness (presbyopia) is present in almost all people after 40–50 years of age.

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Exercises for farsightedness

You can cope with the initial stage of farsightedness with the help of special exercises. Keep in mind that before starting such therapy, you should definitely consult with a specialist - he will select the most effective regimen for you.

It usually includes the following exercises:

Sit on a chair with a backrest, place your palms on your knees. Point your gaze straight ahead. After this, try to look at the very bottom left corner. Keep your gaze at this point until you feel severe pain. After this, blink and move your eye in the opposite direction. Continue the exercise on each side;
Do the “figure eight” - actively move your eyes along the path of the fictitious number. At the same time, change your direction regularly;
Look at a point 50 centimeters away from you, then move your gaze as far as possible. Hold the point for 30 seconds, then move your gaze to the starting point.

Causes

Farsightedness is an insidious disease. The first symptoms appear in childhood and seem far from eye diseases. Children study poorly, get tired quickly, cannot concentrate on doing work, are capricious, and do not sleep well. Fatigue of the visual apparatus of the eye with farsightedness is primarily manifested by asthenic complaints. Early diagnosis and prescription of optical correction (glasses, contact lenses) can reduce the occurrence of complications of hyperopia such as strabismus and amblyopia (lazy eye syndrome). The progression of farsightedness can lead to disturbances in the outflow of intraocular fluid and, as a result, an increase in intraocular pressure and the development of glaucoma.

The cause of farsightedness may be:

reduced size of the eyeball;
weak refractive power of the cornea due to its insufficient curvature;
deep-set lens;
pupil dilation;
spasm of accommodation;
weakening of the ability of the lens to change curvature (with presbyopia);

Symptoms of farsightedness:

poor near vision;
poor distance vision (with high degrees of farsightedness);
increased eye fatigue when reading;
eye strain during work (headaches, burning eyes);
strabismus and “lazy” eyes in children (amblyopia);
frequent inflammatory eye diseases (blepharitis, barley, chalazion, conjunctivitis);

From the appearance of the very first symptoms, farsightedness cannot be ignored and the disease cannot be left to chance, because the complications that hypermetropia leads to can be the most unpleasant and dangerous.

Farsightedness, if ignored, is fraught with such unpleasant complications as:

strabismus;
frequent inflammatory eye diseases (conjunctivitis);
amblyopia (“lazy” eye) - the eye is healthy outwardly, but sees poorly and cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses;
progression of farsightedness can lead to disturbances in the outflow of intraocular fluid and, as a consequence, the development of glaucoma;

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Causes

Deterioration of vision occurs due to improper operation of the light refractive apparatus. In this case, the phenomenon of focusing the image behind the retina can be of both congenital and acquired nature.

Acquired hypermetropia can occur against a background of poor eye hygiene and constant visual strain. Often patients devote too little time to rest from reading and working at the computer. In addition, operations, injuries and heredity can initiate the development of the disease.

If you have a genetic predisposition, it is especially important to undergo periodic examinations with an ophthalmologist and ensure prevention.