Myopia and Hypermetropia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

By tagore
Posted February 28, 2025

Myopia and Hypermetropia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

What is Myopia and Hypermetropia?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, and hypermetropia, or farsightedness, are common refractive disorders of vision. In myopia, the eye is either longer than normal, or the cornea is more curved than normal, so the light focuses in front of the retina.

Thus, distance objects appear blurred to the person with myopia, whereas nearby objects appear clear. Hypermetropia, on the other hand, occurs when the eye is short or the cornea is flat, and thus light focuses at the distance behind the retina.

Hence, faraway objects are clearly seen by the person, whereas near objects cannot be seen very clearly. Both conditions can be corrected using spectacles, contact lenses, or surgery like LASIK.

Causes of Myopia and Hypermetropia

Myopia (sometimes referred to as nearsightedness) and hypermetropia (sometimes referred to as farsightedness) can mostly be correlated to the size and the shape of the eye, while other genetic and environmental factors can also play a role.

Causes of Myopia (Nearsightedness):

The Shapes of the Eye: Myopia usually results when eyeballs are too long in the front-to-back direction (axial length) when the parallel rays of the light entering into the eye focus short of the retina.
Curvature of the Cornea: Myopia may also occur due to too steep or curved cornea, which causes miscoupling of rays of light.
Genetics: When myopia runs in the family, the chances of getting the disease increase, thus hinting towards the fact of genetic predisposition.
Environmental Factors: The significant role of environmental factors like prolonged near work activities (like reading, using computers, or viewing smartphones) has been suspected to contribute to the onset or aggravation of myopia, particularly in children. Restricted outdoor activities and lesser exposure to natural light may also have a link to the increased prevalence of myopia.

Cause of Hypermetropia (Farsightedness):

The Shapes of the Eye: The most common occurrence of hypermetropia is when the eyeball is too short in the front-to-back (axial) direction so that light focuses behind the retina.
Corneal Curvature: In some people, the cornea is flatter than usual, thereby causing light to focus behind the retina.
Age-Related Changes: This condition may become more conspicuous with age owing to the reduced ability of the eye to focus (presbyopia). The lens starts losing elasticity with age, progressively losing its ability to accommodate or focus on near objects.
Genetics: Hypermetropia could be inherited, just like myopia, suggesting genetic predisposition is involved.

Symptoms of Myopia and Hypermetropia

Nearsighted symptoms:

For one, it presents with a vague vision concerning things afar. With the distance, however, that all is vague, nothing can be seen, for nearness bears things in sharp focus.
For example, sharp vision is on close-up objects, while near activities, particularly in reading or texting on a cell phone, rarely become an issue.
Eye fatigue thrives mostly on eye strains and fatigue after prolonged distance viewing, such as from driving or watching television.
Constant squinting: This is done to improve the nearness focus on the distant objects.
Headaches: Due to eye fatigue with trying to see things a long distance away.

Symptoms of Hypermetropia (Farsightedness):

Localized objects appear blurred: Objects at close range are hard to perceive and less focused than usual. This is particularly marked at the end of an extended viewing time.
Nearby objects are blurry while objects farther away remain clear: An uninhibited vision, especially for out-of-focus activities nearby, puts all of them at stake.
Eye fatigue: Exhausted or sore eyes while performing short-range tasks such as reading or working several hours at a computer.
Headaches are brought about by straining the eyes due to focusing on nearer objects.
Having a problem with near work: Trouble focusing on small print or tiny objects, especially toward the end of the day.

Treatment Options for Myopia and Hypermetropia

Myopia Treatment Options:

Eyeglasses: The most straightforward and common treatment. Concave lenses (minus lenses) enable light to focus directly onto the retina.
Contact Lenses: Same principle to eyeglasses but simply put on top of the eye. Offer a wider field of vision and style advantages.
Refractive Surgery: LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) and PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) are two operations that change the shape of the cornea to fix the focusing problems.
Orthokeratology: Overnight special contact lenses that temporarily reshape the cornea to reduce myopia during the day.
Phakic IOLs: A procedure for high myopia, where an artificial lens is placed within the eyes.

Treatment Options for Hypermetropia (Farsightedness):

Eyeglasses: Convex lenses (plus lenses) are prescribed to help collect light in focus on the retina for near viewing.
Contact Lenses: Convex lenses in contact lenses can correct hypermetropia with much more natural vision.
Refractive Surgery: LASIK and other techniques, such as PRK, can change the shape of the cornea to solve the focus problem in subjects suffering from hypermetropia.
Treatment of Presbyopia: To correct both hypermetropia and presbyopia in old age, a mixed correction should be applied to achieve near and distant vision (in progressive or bifocal lenses).

Comparison Between myopia and hypermetropia

This is a simple comparison in between myopia and hypermetropia:

Myopia:

Distance Vision: All distant objects become blurry due to the failure of focusing.
Near Vision: Most of the objects near at hand are easily seen.
Cause: The length of the eyeball is more or the cornea is more curved.
Age of Onset: It's usually developed during early childhood or early adolescence.
Symptoms: Blurry vision of far objects, squinting, headache, and much eye strain.
Cure: Concave lenses (glasses/contacts), LASIK surgery, and orthokeratology.
Prevalence: It is more commonly found in youth.

Hypermetropia:

Distance Vision: Can view all the things clearly, but most of the distance objects do not need much effort.
Near Vision: Blurry, having trouble seeing things close.
Cause: Eyeball is short, or cornea is flat.
Age of Onset: Born present, becomes apparent with age.
Symptoms: Blurred near vision, eye fatigue, headaches, and trouble with near work.
Treatment: Convex lenses (glasses/contacts), LASIK surgery.
Prevalence: More frequent in the older population due to changes that occur in the age.

Conclusion

At Tagore Hospital Jaipur, we put our patients' welfare first and offer quality care and treatment for different vision disorders, including myopia and hypermetropia. These are two common refractive errors with considerable effects on a person's daily activities, but with the right diagnosis and treatment plan, they can be managed.

The experienced ophthalmologists' team in Tagore Hospital Jaipur provides total eye care that includes almost every step from an eleven-point eye examination, personalized corrective spectacles, surgical procedures like LASIK, and other refractive surgery to give all our patients the best treatment tailored to their needs. From distant vision problems to near vision problems, we ensure you regain your vision and quality of life.