Solutions for Farsightedness

Do you squint at your computer screen, but give movie screens a wide-eyed look? Do you need readers when you sit down to work, but can head out to sightsee with crystal clear vision? Do you have persistent headaches at the office, but notice the pain goes away in other settings? These are potential symptoms and cues of farsightedness, also known as hyperopia. Eyes that are too “short” and corneas that have a flatter curvature can create hyperopia. Either condition will prevent your retina from catching a clear image, thereby causing objects to be out of focus.

The good news is that Bay Area LASIK and cornea specialist Mark Mandel, MD has multiple solutions for farsightedness.

Why Does Farsightedness Occur?

Most babies are born hyperopic, but the defect self-corrects as the eyes grow and develop.

Age-related farsightedness is another form of the condition. As it does with any organ, age takes a toll on your eyes. By the time you reach your mid-40s, your lenses are likely to become less flexible, and eventually you will develop presbyopia ( the inability to read) and/or age-related hyperopia.

What Are the Solutions?

If your hyperopia is causing enough fuzziness and discomfort to warrant treatment, there are a few options, starting with glasses or contacts. Either will change the way light rays bend into the eyes, sharpening up  objects. Patients with severely farsighted vision who prefer glasses may consider aspheric high-index lenses with an anti-reflective coating, which are thinner and lighter than other lenses.

Different laser surgery options are also available, all of which Bay Area LASIK and cornea specialist Mark Mandel MD offers.

LASIK surgery involves the doctor creating a thin flap in the cornea, under which he will go in and reshape the cornea and then put the flap back in place. LASIK is often suggested to more active patients, as the recovery time is quicker than with PRK.

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a laser procedure performed to correct farsightedness as well as nearsightedness. This option is offered mainly to patients with thinner corneas.  During PRK, Dr. Mandel removes the surface corneal cells and reshapes the cornea with the excimer laser.

For both procedures, Dr. Mandel uses FDA-approved wavefront-guided laser treatments, as they are able to correct for higher order aberrations and thereby diminish glare, halos and starbursts, while also increasing contrast sensitivity. For LASIK, the femtosecond laser is used to create the flap in a procedure known as “all-laser LASIK.”

Schedule a Consultation Today

Bay Area LASIK and cornea specialist Mark Mandel MD and his Optima Eye team serve patients in San Jose and the greater Bay Area, including the East Bay. Learn more about his services and schedule a consultation today by calling 877-210-2020.