Good vision is an invaluable tool that connects us to our environment and lets us navigate our lives confidently and purposefully. Nearsightedness and farsightedness are two similar eye conditions that can distance you from the world around you and cause significant challenges in your life. This comprehensive guide unpacks the essential details about nearsighted vs. farsighted vision, from why it happens to how optometrists can correct it, and explains what to do if you're concerned about your vision.
What Is Nearsightedness (Myopia)?
If you're nearsighted or shortsighted, you struggle to see far-away objects. If an exclusively nearsighted person examined a leaf up close, they could see the little veins and speckles on its surface. However, if they looked at a tree 20 yards away, its individual leaves would appear as one blurry mass. Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, affects around 42% of Americans, and that number is steadily rising as we spend more time looking at screens from a young age.
Causes of Nearsightedness
Nearsightedness happens for two reasons — either the eyeball is too long, or the cornea curves too steeply. In either case, when light passes through the eye, the lens focuses light rays too early, so the focal point falls short of the retina. The retina sends light information to the brain to be decoded, and if that light is out of focus, the image the viewer sees will be, too. Studies suggest that nearsightedness is usually genetic, but changes in your lens or cornea can also trigger it.
Symptoms Nearsighted People Experience
If you are nearsighted, you may find it difficult to drive, watch films, read signs, play sports, recognize faces, follow lectures, navigate shopping aisles and enjoy the detailed beauty of nature. You may also find your eyes feeling tired, dry or heavy after staring at a screen for a long time. Symptoms of myopia commonly include:
- Blurred long-distance vision
- Squinting to see far-away objects
- Eye strain (asthenopia)
- Mild tension-type headaches
- Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
- Eyes feeling heavy after prolonged use
How Nearsightedness is Diagnosed
To find out if you're nearsighted, you'll need to see an optometrist for an eye exam. In this exam, they'll look into your eyes using a special microscope called a slit lamp to make sure delicate structures like your cornea, iris, optic nerve, sclera, conjunctiva and retina are healthy. They'll also test your visual acuity to determine how well you can see details at various distances. 20/20 is considered normal when measuring long-distance vision and is measured in feet.
What Your Visual Acuity Says About Your Eyesight
In long-distance or far acuity tests, myopic individuals score 20/30, 20/40 and above. 20/40, for example, means the nearsighted person would have to stand 20 feet or less away from an object that a normal eye could see from 40 feet away. The higher the second number, the more severe the myopia.
What Is Farsightedness (Hyperopia)?
You may be farsighted or hyperopic if objects in your immediate visual field look blurry, such as the time on your watch or text on a phone screen. Diagnosing hyperopia as early as possible in children is crucial because, if left untreated, it can lead to strabismus and amblyopia, colloquially referred to as being “cross-eyed” or having a “lazy eye.”
Causes of Farsightedness
If your eyeball is too short or your cornea is too flat, you have hyperopia and are farsighted. The mechanism works just like nearsightedness, except the positions are reversed. In farsighted people, light rays converge too late, so their focal point ends up behind the retina instead of on it. The retina then sends an out-of-focus image through the optic nerve to the brain, resulting in blurry vision. Research has yet to pinpoint one direct cause of hyperopia, but genetics, childhood development and certain diseases are thought to play a role.
Symptoms Farsighted People Experience
Farsightedness can impact your life in many ways. Reading books, texting, doing detailed work with your hands, buying products, identifying medication and many more activities are difficult-to-impossible with hyperopia. Common symptoms of farsightedness include:
- Blurry short-range vision
- Recoiling when reading
- Moderate to severe headaches
- Eyes that feel tired or achy
- Dry, burning sensations in the eyes
How Farsightedness Is Diagnosed
Optometrists check for farsightedness in an eye exam and do a visual acuity test that measures how well you see details up close. These near acuity tests are usually done with handheld cards, while far acuity tests are usually charts on a wall. They'll also conduct the slit-lamp test to check that your vision problems aren't coming from another structural issue like astigmatism or presbyopia.
The Difference Between Farsightedness and Presbyopia
Farsightedness is not the same condition as presbyopia, although they do present similar symptoms. Presbyopia is caused by aging, and it happens when the lens inside your eye becomes stiffer over time and can't properly bend to focus on nearby objects. Farsightedness is caused by the shape of your eyeball or cornea and can affect people of any age.
Nearsighted vs. Farsighted Vision — What's the Difference at a Glance?
The main differences between nearsightedness and farsightedness, how they are diagnosed and what type of glasses correct each condition are, in summary:
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Nearsighted vs. Farsighted Vision |
||
|
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Nearsightedness (MYOPIA) |
Farsightedness (HYPEROPIA) |
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Effect on Vision |
Blurry long-distance vision |
Blurry vision up close |
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Causes |
Elongated eyeball or steeply curved cornea |
Shortened eyeball or flattened cornea |
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Light Ray Focal Point |
Falls short of the retina |
Overshoots the retina |
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Diagnosis |
Far acuity test |
Near acuity test |
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Correction |
Concave lenses |
Convex lenses |
How Do Glasses Correct Nearsighted vs. Farsighted Vision?
After ensuring your eyes are otherwise healthy, your optometrist will perform refraction tests to determine your exact lens prescription. With this prescription, you can order glasses that suit your lifestyle, aesthetic and preferences directly from the store or quickly and easily online. Depending on whether you're myopic or hyperopic, you'll need either concave or convex lenses to move the focal point of light toward the retina for crisp, clear vision.
The Best Glasses for Nearsightedness
Glasses for myopia usually have concave lenses, meaning their surface bends inward on either side to form a shallow dent. This dent redirects light rays slightly outward so they come into focus further back in the eye. If you're nearsighted, consider photochromic or transition lens coating so your glasses darken like sunglasses in bright sunlight. This is especially convenient if you work outside a lot or need glasses for driving.
The Best Glasses for Farsightedness
Glasses for hyperopia usually have convex lenses, with sides that bulge out slightly to form a gentle dome shape. The dome shape converges the light rays, so they reach a focal point earlier, targeting the retina and producing clear images. If you're farsighted, an anti-glare coating will help reduce reflections on your lenses, a particularly useful feature if you do a lot of work on a computer or read under artificial light.
Why Eyemart Express Is Your One-Stop-Shop for On-Demand Eye Care
At Eyemart Express, we're committed to making eye care as time-saving and cost-effective as possible while maintaining exceptional service and quality. Our 200+ stores across the United States can prepare your glasses before your coffee gets cold — frames, lenses and all.
Our user-friendly online platform has an impressive selection of over 2,000 stylish frame choices that are easily filterable to your taste.
Get Your Glasses for Nearsighted or Farsighted Vision at Eyemart Express
We'd love to help you see the world in all its detail and glory. Hop onto our site and simply start shopping if you already have a prescription. If you think you're farsighted or nearsighted or just want to check up on your eye health, swing by one of our industry-leading partnered optometrists and bring your world into focus today.
