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Hypermetropia, also called hyperopia or long-sightedness or farsightedness, is an eye condition where the image of any nearby object is developed behind the retina. It is one of the most common eye problems which affects people of all age groups. Hypermetropia is concerned with “ophthalmological problems”. People suffering from hypermetropia have trouble in focusing on nearby objects but can clearly see distant objects. The process used to treat Hypermetropia is Accommodation without any defects in vision in the early stages.
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Key Terms: Hypermetropia, Long-sightedness, Retina, Eyes, Functional Hypermetropia, Pathological Hypermetropia, Cornea, Human Eyes
What is Hypermetropia?
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Hypermetropia is an eye condition where the image of any nearby object is developed behind the retina.
- Hypermetropia or long/farsightedness is one of the most common eye problems in which a person faces difficulty in seeing the objects that are kept nearby.
- It generally could be explained as weak eyesight for the nearby sights. Although, simultaneously, there remains no trouble in seeing distant objects.
- Hypermetropia is common in newborn babies as they have small eyeballs. Although, gradually, it gets corrected with the passage of time as the eyeballs grow to their normal size.
- And this happens because the light is focused behind the retina instead of focusing on the retina. Hypermetropia is generally caused due to structural defects in the retina.
The video below explains this:
Human Eye One Shot Detailed Video Explanation:
Frequently Asked Questions About HypermetropiaQues. What are the structural defects in the retina that is caused by Hypermetropia? (5 marks) Ans. Hypermetropia is generally caused due to certain structural defects found in the retina. Some of the major structural defects include:
Ques. What are the risk factors involved in Hypermetropia? (3 marks) Ans. Some of the major risk factors include:
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Symptoms of Hypermetropia
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There are multiple symptoms that determine the problem of hypermetropia. The presence of these symptoms could make one easily recognize the problem. Some of the major symptoms are:
- The most common symptom is a blurry vision which might be felt by people while focusing on the objects kept closer.
- Another set of biological and physical symptoms involve eye strain, tiredness of the eye, watery eyes, and frontotemporal headaches.
- At the same time, young children with the acute disability of farsightedness may suffer from double vision as a result of over-focusing.
- Any person with hypermetropia may develop some rare complications as well, such as strabismus and amblyopia.
- Hypermetropic patients with a short axial length are also at a higher risk of developing primary angle-closure glaucoma.
Such symptoms also help in recognizing the problems at the earliest and thus, contribute to the early-stage treatments for curing hypermetropia.
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Causes of Hypermetropia
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Hypermetropia generally occurs when there is a shortening of the eyeball along the axis. And therefore, as a result, the rays of the light that enter the eyes fall behind the retina instead of falling on the retina which creates blurry vision.
Some of the causes of Hypermetropia include:
- Another factor could be seen as an increase in the focal length of the eye lens which ultimately causes hypermetropia.
- Hypermetropia also tends to occur if in case the cornea of the eye is not curved enough, i.e., the lens or cornea is flatter than normal.
- The stiffening of the ciliary muscles could be attributed as another cause of hypermetropia.
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Types of Hypermetropia
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Hypermetropia could be classified into few types on the basis of the structure of the eyes. The three types of hypermetropia are listed below.
Functional Hypermetropia
The functional hypermetropia is commonly witnessed in patients who are already suffering from the third intracranial nerve palsy and internal ophthalmoplegia where the paralysis occurs in the eye’s ability to accommodate.
Pathological Hypermetropia
Pathological Hypermetropia is usually caused either due to congenital issues or acquired conditions. There are four types of pathological hypermetropia as well, such as senile or acquired hypermetropia, positional hypermetropia, aphakic hypermetropia, and consecutive hypermetropia.
Simple Hypermetropia
Simple hypermetropia is a form of hypermetropia which includes axial hypermetropia. Generally, hypermetropia is also caused when the axial length of the eyeball is extremely short and the curve of the cornea or the lens is flatter than normal. This defect in the curvature is also called curvature hypermetropia. Therefore, the presence of both types of mentioned causes leads to simple hypermetropia which is the most common type of hypermetropia.
Classification of Hypermetropia based on Severity
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Treatment of Hypermetropia
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Generally, hypermetropia is a very common defect amongst people of all age groups. The over usage of screens and inappropriate diet remain one of the many detrimental factors. Hypermetropia has been equally researched and studied as of now and therefore, doctors and scientists have evolved multiple treatment methods over time.
- One method involves the usage of proper corrective lenses and spectacles and that too as per the prescriptions given by the ophthalmologist.
- A more intense degree of hypermetropia is corrected by using intraocular lens implantation.
- Surgery like LASIK (Laser-Assisted In situ Keratomileusis) Laser eye surgery, PRK (Photo-Refractive Keratectomy) and LASEK (Laser Subepithelial Keratomileusis) are also helpful varying as per the intensity of the multiple cases.
Vision defects are usually diagnosed by using an eye chart which is known as the Snellen Chart and it helps in measuring the clarity of vision and visual acuity. Hypermetropia could also be diagnosed through this, though, presently, the Log MAR chart is used by many ophthalmologists and vision scientists.
Accommodative status HypermetropiaAccommodation can be defined as the process that is used to treat hypermetropia without any defects in vision in the early stages. Accomodative status hypermetropia can be further classified into:
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Also Check Important Hypermetropia PDF:
Hypermetropia PDF
Things to Remember
- Hypermetropia or farsightedness makes a person see faraway objects clearly.
- A person with a hypermetropic eye cannot see nearby objects clearly.
- The near point of the eye is higher than 25cm
- This usually occurs during later stages in life. The reason is, the weakening of the ciliary muscles and/or the reduced flexibility of the lens.
- The focal length of the eye lens is too long.
- Eyeballs become too small.
- The image of a distant object is formed behind the retina and not on the retina.
- This defect is treatable by using Convex lenses as the lenses bring the image back on the retina.
Read More: Class 10 Science Chapter 11 NCERT Solutions of The Human Eye and the Colourful World
Sample Questions of Hypermetropia
Ques. Mention a few of the symptoms of hypermetropia? (1 Mark)
Ans. Blurry vision, watering, tiredness in the eyes, the inward turning of the eyes, and headaches are among the few most common symptoms of hypermetropia.
Ques. How is hypermetropia classified on the basis of the accommodative status? (1 Mark)
Ans. Total hypermetropia, Latent hyperopia and Manifest hyperopia
Ques. What is accommodation? (1 Mark)
Ans. Accommodation is defined as the process which is used to treat hypermetropia without any defects in vision in the early stages.
Ques. What is the difference between presbyopia and hypermetropia? (3 Marks)
Ans. Presbyopia is an eye defect that is generally found in elderly people whereas hypermetropia is found in young people. People with presbyopia and people with hypermetropia face the same problem, i.e., they cannot see nearby objects clearly but a presbyopic patient cannot see the distant objects as well.
Presbyopia occurs due to the stiffening of ciliary muscles and thus the eye loses its ability to accommodate. Generally, the onset of Presbyopia happens, once the person reaches the age group of the 40s. Hence, it may happen with everyone regardless of whether they are myopic, hypermetropic, or have normal vision. Bifocal lens (lens having two different sections, i.e., an upper section for distance vision and a lower section for close vision) is used to correct Presbyopia.
Ques. In hypermetropia, the image of near objects is formed: (5 Marks)
A) Before the retina
B) On the retina
C) Behind the retina
D) Above the retina
Ans. Hypermetropia is a common eye defect in which nearby objects appear to blur or not clear, but the far-off objects appear to be clear.
Generally, in an eye defect, either the shape of the cornea, the clear outer layer of the eye, is changed (this either causes the eye to become too short to form a clear image, or the eye is enlarged or becomes too long to form a clear image) or the curvature of the lens changes causing the image formed to be either formed before the retina, behind the retina or above the retina, there can be many other reasons like improper intake of vitamins can harden the cornea irritating the eye, etc.
In the case of hypermetropia, the eye length becomes too short. But the curvature of the lens remains the same, as a result, the image formed is supposed to be formed behind the retina, as if the eye becomes too short and the image is still being formed in the actual position, the image will always be formed behind the retina.
Hence, option (C) Behind the retina, is the correct answer.
Ques. Draw a diagram to show how hypermetropia is corrected. (5 Marks)
Ans. Hypermetropia (long-sightedness) is a defect of an eye where a person cannot see nearby objects clearly. The near point of the Hypermetropia eye is more than D=25cm away.
This defect of the eye is caused due to, non-converging power of eye-lens, eyeball being too short, in this case, the image of an object is formed behind the retina, and therefore, a person cannot see nearby objects.
In the ray diagram of the Hypermetropic eye, the image of a nearby object (object is a minimum distance of vision i.e. at D=25cm) is formed behind the retina.
The near-point of an eye having Hypermetropia may be equal to or more than D=25cm. Now, the condition of Hypermetropia can be corrected by putting a convex lens in front of the eye.
This is because when a convex lens of suitable power is placed in front of the hypermetropic eye, then the convex lens first converges the diverging rays of light coming from a nearby object at the near point of the eye at which the virtual image of the nearby object is formed.
Now, since the light rays appear to be coming from the eye’s near point, the eye-lens can be easily focused and form the image on the retina convex lens that is used for Hypermetropia so as to increase the converging power of the eye-lens.
The convex lens forms a virtual image of the object Ol which is lying at a normal near point (D=25cm) at The lens formula is, 1/v − 1/u = 1/f, where u is a normal near point D = 25cm where the object is placed. Here f is the focal length of the lens suggested to a person in hypermetropia and v is the position of the image formed here at Ol.
Ques. What is the refractive error of Low Hypermetropia? (1 Mark)
Ans. In case of Low Hypermetropia, the refractive error is less than or equal to + 2. 00 Diopters (D).
Ques. Define Pathological Hypermetropia. (2 Marks)
Ans. Pathological Hypermetropia is caused either due to congenital issues or acquired conditions. There are four types of pathological hypermetropia as well, such as senile or acquired hypermetropia, positional hypermetropia, aphakic hypermetropia, and consecutive hypermetropia.
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