If reading a menu, threading a needle or working on a laptop leaves your eyes tired and your head aching, farsightedness could be the reason. It’s one of the most common vision problems, and it’s also one of the most misunderstood, partly because it’s easy to confuse with the normal near-vision changes that come with age.

Here’s what farsightedness is, how to tell if you have it, what causes it, and how it’s diagnosed and treated.

The Short Answer

Farsightedness (hyperopia) is a common focusing problem in which light entering the eye focuses behind the retina instead of on it, usually because the eye is a little shorter than average. Close objects tend to look blurry, and your eyes have to work harder to focus, which can cause eye strain and headaches. An eye exam can diagnose it, and it’s usually corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

What Is Farsightedness?

To see clearly, the cornea (the clear front window of the eye) and the lens inside the eye bend light so it lands precisely on the retina at the back of the eye. In a farsighted eye, that light is aimed at a point slightly behind the retina. The most common reasons are:

  • The eyeball is shorter than average from front to back
  • The cornea is flatter (less curved) than average
  • Less often, the lens has less focusing power than usual

Despite the name, farsighted people don’t always see well far away. Mild farsightedness may only affect close-up vision, especially in younger people whose eyes can make up for it by focusing harder. Higher amounts can blur vision at all distances.

Farsightedness vs. Presbyopia: What’s the Difference?

These two get mixed up all the time because both make reading harder.

  • Farsightedness (hyperopia) comes from the shape of the eye. It’s often present from birth and can affect people of any age.
  • Presbyopia is the natural, age-related stiffening of the lens inside the eye. It happens to nearly everyone, usually becoming noticeable in the 40s, and makes it harder to focus up close no matter what shape your eye is.

You can have both. People who are farsighted often notice presbyopia a little earlier, because their eyes were already working harder to focus up close. If you’re over 40 and suddenly holding your phone at arm’s length, read do I need reading glasses? for more on presbyopia.

Farsightedness is the opposite of nearsightedness (myopia), where distant objects are blurry. Our guide to nearsightedness explains that side.

Am I Farsighted? Common Symptoms

Symptoms in Adults

  • Blurry vision when reading, sewing or using a phone or computer
  • Eye strain, aching or burning eyes after close work
  • Headaches, often around the forehead or brow, after reading or screen time
  • Tired eyes, especially by the end of the day
  • Squinting to see clearly
  • Needing more light to read comfortably
  • In higher amounts, blurry vision at a distance too

Can Farsightedness Cause Headaches?

Yes. When you’re farsighted, the focusing muscles inside your eyes have to work constantly to pull close objects into focus. That sustained effort is a common cause of headaches and eye fatigue, particularly after long periods of near work. Many people don’t realize their headaches are vision-related until glasses make them go away. Of course, headaches have many causes, so frequent or severe headaches should also be discussed with your primary care doctor.

Symptoms in Children

Children often don’t know their vision isn’t normal, so they rarely complain about blur. Watch for:

  • Avoiding reading, homework or other close-up activities
  • Rubbing their eyes or complaining of headaches or tired eyes
  • Losing their place while reading or having a short attention span for close work
  • An eye that turns inward (crossed eyes)

Many babies and young children are mildly farsighted, and their eyes compensate easily. Higher amounts that go uncorrected can affect learning and comfort, and in some children can contribute to crossed eyes or a “lazy eye” (amblyopia). That’s one reason regular children’s eye exams matter; see eye care for every stage of a child’s development.

What Causes Farsightedness?

Farsightedness is mainly a matter of how your eye is built. It tends to run in families, so if your parents are farsighted, you may be too. It is not caused by reading too much, using screens, or anything you did. Less commonly, farsightedness can be linked to other eye or health conditions, which is one more reason to have it properly diagnosed.

How Is Farsightedness Diagnosed?

Diagnosing farsightedness is part of a routine comprehensive eye exam. Your eye doctor will typically:

  • Check visual acuity: reading letters on a chart at distance and up close.
  • Perform a refraction: you look through different lenses (often in a device called a phoropter) and tell the doctor which looks clearer. This pins down your exact prescription.
  • Use dilating or “relaxing” drops when needed: because younger eyes can hide farsightedness by focusing hard, drops that temporarily relax the focusing muscles are often used, especially for children, to measure the full amount.
  • Examine eye health: checking the front and back of the eye and eye pressure to rule out other problems.

Vision screenings at school or the DMV can miss farsightedness, because they mostly test distance vision. A full eye exam is the reliable way to know.

What Does a Plus (+) Prescription Mean?

On a glasses prescription, the sphere (SPH) number shows how much focusing correction you need:

  • A plus sign (+) means you’re farsighted. The lenses add focusing power to help bring close objects into focus.
  • A minus sign (−) means you’re nearsighted.
  • The larger the number, the stronger the prescription.

You may also see a cylinder (CYL) and axis number, which correct astigmatism, and an “ADD” number, which is extra power for reading in bifocals or progressive lenses, usually for presbyopia.

How Is Farsightedness Treated?

Eyeglasses

Glasses are the simplest and most common treatment. Some people only need them for reading and close work; others wear them full-time. If you also have presbyopia, progressive or bifocal lenses can cover multiple distances.

Contact Lenses

Contact lenses correct farsightedness and are a good fit for active lifestyles. Multifocal contacts are available for people who need help at both distance and near.

Refractive Surgery

Some adults with stable prescriptions may be candidates for laser vision correction or lens-based procedures that change how the eye focuses. Not everyone is a good candidate, and every procedure has risks and trade-offs. If you’re interested, ask your eye doctor whether a refractive surgery evaluation makes sense for you.

Can Farsightedness Be Cured?

Many children who are mildly farsighted become less so as their eyes grow. In adults, farsightedness doesn’t go away on its own, and eye exercises have not been shown to correct it. Glasses and contacts correct it while you wear them, and surgery can reduce or remove the need for them in suitable candidates. Learn more about all your options on our vision correction page.

Get Your Eyes Checked

If close-up work leaves you squinting, tired or reaching for pain relievers, an eye exam can tell you whether farsightedness is the cause and get you into the right correction. Tennessee Eye Care sees patients of all ages at our Harriman, Knoxville, Lenoir City, Morristown and Powell clinics. Find a location and schedule your exam.