key term - Farsightedness

Definition

Farsightedness, also known as hyperopia, is a common vision condition in which distant objects appear clear, but close-up objects appear blurry. This occurs when the eye is unable to focus light properly, causing images to be focused behind the retina instead of directly on it.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Farsightedness is caused by the eyeball being too short or the cornea having too little curvature, which prevents light from focusing directly on the retina.
2. Mild farsightedness is common in children and often corrects itself as the eye grows, but more severe cases may require vision correction.
3. Symptoms of farsightedness include eye strain, headaches, and difficulty focusing on close-up tasks like reading or using a computer.
4. Farsightedness can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery to change the shape of the cornea.
5. The risk of farsightedness increases with age as the lens inside the eye becomes less flexible, making it harder to focus on close-up objects.

Review Questions

• Explain how the physical structure of the eye contributes to farsightedness.
  • In farsightedness, the eyeball is too short or the cornea has too little curvature, which prevents light from focusing directly on the retina. This causes distant objects to appear clear, but close-up objects to appear blurry. The eye's inability to properly focus light is the underlying cause of farsightedness.
• Describe the relationship between farsightedness and the eye's ability to accommodate focus.
  • Accommodation is the eye's ability to adjust its focus to clearly see objects at different distances. In farsightedness, the eye's lens becomes less flexible with age, making it harder to focus on close-up objects. This reduced accommodation ability is a key factor that contributes to the symptoms of farsightedness, such as eye strain and difficulty with near-vision tasks.
• Evaluate the various vision correction options available for individuals with farsightedness and explain how they work to improve visual clarity.
  • Farsightedness can be corrected through the use of eyeglasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. Eyeglasses and contact lenses work by bending light in a way that compensates for the eye's inability to focus it properly, effectively moving the focal point forward to the retina. Refractive surgery, such as LASIK, reshapes the cornea to improve its curvature and allow light to focus correctly, addressing the underlying structural cause of farsightedness.

Related terms

Nearsightedness:

Nearsightedness, or myopia, is the opposite of farsightedness, where close-up objects appear clear but distant objects appear blurry.

Astigmatism:

Astigmatism is a vision condition in which the eye is unable to focus light evenly on the retina, resulting in distorted or blurred vision at all distances.

Accommodation:

Accommodation is the eye's ability to adjust its focus to clearly see objects at different distances, which becomes more difficult with age.