What causes the eye to be hyperopic or farsighted? If the cornea is too flat and therefore not strong enough, or if the eye is smaller than average, the image is going to come into focus "behind" the retina. Using the camera analogy: The optical system of the camera, our eye, is failing to make the picture come into focus on the film, our retina. Unlike myopia, an eye with this refractive condition usually is stable before the age of 20. Nevertheless, there are exceptions.

Sometimes the eye can correct itself by working like an auto-focus camera. The lens of the eye adjusts, changing its shape in order to bring the image into focus on the retina. This focusing of the eye to compensate for hyperopia is called accommodation. By the time you reach 50 years of age, the lens inside the eye has lost most of its elastic ability, a process which begins in childhood. Because your lens is less flexible, it becomes difficult to bring the image into focus on the retina, particularly when you try reading or seeing something up close. If you are farsighted, the need for reading glasses may occur at a younger age than average. If you are nearsighted, you may find yourself taking your glasses off to read, using your natural myopia as extra focusing power.

This condition has been approved for laser vision correction by the FDA. We can now perform Custom LASIK for the treatment of Hyperopia and Astigmatism.

Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) is an FDA-approved procedure for mild to moderate hyperopia (up to +3 diopters).