Some people suffer from blurry vision when seeing objects at different distances, placed either close or far away. Most likely, they have myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness). These vision defects are very common in many but are totally opposite to each other. These conditions are refractive errors, which makes your vision fuzzy far away or nearby. They are defined by your eyes’ incapability of sending light to the retina. The main difference between nearsighted vs. farsighted is where the object appears in focus. Farsighted people can clearly see distant objects, whereas nearsighted people can clearly see nearby objects. Let us see the in-depth analysis of our eye care specialists on the topic of nearsighted vs. farsighted.
Nearsighted vs. Farsighted
Nearsightedness an
d farsightedness are refractive errors, so they cannot be called eye diseases. These visual defects are small abnormalities that make it difficult for eyes to focus on the light. The light comes into our eye through the pupil. Then it is required to perfectly focus on a thin layer of tissue in the eye’s back so that we can clearly see. In medical terms, we call it retina. When the entered light is not focused accurately on the retina, it makes blurry vision. Lenses help to perfectly focus light on the retina. The prime difference between nearsightedness and farsightedness is just a matter of where the light is focused inside the eye.
Similarities Between Being Farsighted and Nearsighted
Farsighted and nearsighted, both of these defects are due to the steepness of the cornea or shape of the eyeball. Both of these refractive errors display the same symptoms such as:
- Tired Eyes or Fatigue
- Eye Strain
- Headaches
- Straining or Squinting to View Crystal Clear
As soon as you observe any of the symptoms mentioned above, get an appointment with your eye doctor ASAP for a detailed eye exam.
You can treat these errors with contact lenses or eye-glasses or, in rare cases, both. In these cases, these corrective lenses are designed to mend your vision by upgrading the way light rays enter your eyes. In this way, light properly focuses on the retina.
People suffering from these refractive errors will find that their vision is quite stable once they hit 20 or beyond. When the error has stabilized, they can go for different procedures such as PRK or LASIK to permanently treat these eye conditions. These procedures reshape the cornea to improve vision forever.
Difference Between Farsightedness and Nearsightedness
The difference is very clear and easy to understand between the two. In nearsightedness, instead of directly focusing on the retina, the light focuses too far in front of it. It is mostly due to the shape of the cornea or the inaccurate shape of the eyeball. The eyeball is too long from front to back in shape.
When light is focused in front of the retina, objects at some distance are not seen clearly, but those objects present close to you are seen clearly and in focus.
In medical terms, we call nearsightedness as myopia. In contrast, hyperopia is the medical name for farsightedness, the opposite of myopia.
The farsightedness refractive error is because the eyeball is very short, which causes the light to focus behind the retina instead of in front of the retina. Hyperopia causes nearby things to look blurry, but higher levels of farsightedness can make the items at every distance look blurry and out of focus. Image is formed clear when the light focuses on the retina. This poor or defective focus of light causes nearsightedness, farsightedness, and other vision problems, making it hard for your eye to see objects clearly regardless of the distance.
Similarly, astigmatism can make the objects appear blurry at all distances. If the farsightedness is of mild level, your vision may not be affected even slightly. But they may lead to headaches when doing or reading other close-up work.
Kids having farsightedness are normally born with this refractive error. In some cases, childhood farsightedness improves because the eyeball lengthens with development and normal growth.
Whereas myopia normally develops during childhood time and becomes worse during adolescence. It is, later on, stabilized during early adulthood ages.
Farsighted or Nearsighted-Which is better?
Your occupation and lifestyle decide whether it is better for you to be farsighted or nearsighted. It is much better for you to be nearsighted instead of farsighted if you are required to see close-up stuff due to sitting in front of the computer and working in an office.
People who are into a lot of driving can benefit from seeing a crisp, clear vision for seeing distant objects such as road signs, exits, and pedestrians easily.
These conditions are controllable and treatable even if you have high levels of nearsightedness and farsightedness. Consult your eye doctor for the treatment as he/she will suggest you some corrective eyewear such as contact lenses to improve your vision.
Conclusion: Nearsighted and Farsighted
Myopia (the medical name for nearsightedness) and hyperopia (the medical name for Farsightedness) are very common visual defects that, on some occasions, they happen in combination with astigmatism. Even though these problems feel difficult and hard to manage, vision corrective lenses prescribed by eye doctors can help you mend your vision. There are some differences between the two. Whichever of these two visual defects you have, eye doctors are there at your service to help you deal with eye problems, improve your eye health and clearly see things. They will conduct an eye exam, including vision screenings, and give you proper treatment and recommendations like wear lenses, glasses, etc. Glasses and corrective lenses can help you correct your vision.
