Hyperopia: eye check-ups and treatments

28/05/2018

Hyperopia is an error of visual focus that usually manifests itself with blurry and uncomfortable vision up close, as the images focus behind the retina, rather than on the retina.

The more dioptres of refractive error a hyperopic eye has, the more unfocused you will see the images when you do not wear the glasses. During childhood and until 40 or 50 years of age, the lens (the natural lens of the eye) manages to compensate for this defect and focus the images on the retina.

With age, the lens loses its ability to focus and the need for glasses increases. It is what is known as presbyopia or eyestrain.

Genetic factors play an important role. If one of the parents is hyperopic, the risk of developing the disease increases. The risk is even greater if both parents are hyperopic.

Eye check-ups

Hyperopia cannot be prevented, so regular check-ups with the ophthalmologist are very important. We recommend an annual control and especially in those over 50, due to the normal physiological changes that occur in the eyes with age.

In children, we must be alert to certain symptoms since hyperopia tends to manifest itself at school age.

The most common signs and symptoms can be:

1. Headache
2. Visual fatigue
3. Redness
4. Tilting your head back

Treatments

The treatment of hyperopia should be individualized in each case, and although it cannot be cured, it can be corrected by:

Correction with glasses and/or contact lenses

It is the simplest way to correct farsightedness.

Laser refractive surgery

LASIK technique, PRK and SMILE. They are the most used techniques in hyperopia surgery for its proven safety and efficacy.

Intraocular lenses

In selected cases there are other surgical techniques such as implanting toric phakic intraocular lenses (without removing the lens) or removing the lens and implanting a toric intraocular lens.