Refractive error
Hyperopia
The eye is fractionally too short, so the focusing muscle has to work continuously to keep close-up vision sharp. Reading and screen work can therefore feel tiring long before distance vision is affected. Laser or lens treatment can reduce this strain.
30+ years of experienceFree assessmentAn experienced treatment team throughout
What is hyperopia?
Hyperopia, or long-sightedness, means the eye focuses light behind the retina rather than on it. Close objects blur first, and in stronger prescriptions distance vision is affected too.
Younger eyes can often compensate by focusing harder, which is why mild hyperopia may go unnoticed for years. That ability declines with age, so hyperopia frequently becomes apparent from the late thirties onwards.
Hyperopia (long-sightedness) means that you usually see sharply at a distance, while vision close up can be blurred. Long-sightedness can cause headaches, because the eyes have to strain to focus, for example when you read.
When you are long-sighted, you may find it difficult to see objects at close range and depend on glasses or contact lenses. A treatment can reduce your need for glasses or contact lenses.
Symptoms of hyperopia
Common signs include:
- Close work such as reading or a phone screen feels blurred
- Eye strain, aching or headaches after concentrating
- Needing to hold reading material further away
- Tired eyes towards the end of the day
- You have difficulty maintaining focus when you switch between different distances
If you recognise several of these signs, an eye examination can establish the cause.
What causes hyperopia?
Hyperopia occurs when the eyeball is slightly too short from front to back, or when the cornea is too flat. This means that the focal point lies behind the retina. Long-sightedness is largely related to the shape of the eye and is often hereditary.
How long-sightedness occurs
A normal-sighted eye
A normal-sighted eye forms sharp images on the retina, giving clear vision both at a distance and close up. The eye's optical system – the cornea, the lens and the vitreous body – refracts incoming light rays so that they converge precisely on the retina. In this way, a sharp image is formed at all distances.
This refraction of light rays is measured in dioptres. The dioptre is a unit of refractive power. With long-sightedness, the power of the spectacle lens or contact lens is given with a plus sign. When the refractive power is correct, the image is formed sharply on the retina.
A long-sighted eye
A long-sighted eye is typically shorter than a normal-sighted eye. Another, rarer cause is that the combined refractive power of the cornea and lens is too weak. Incoming light rays therefore converge at a focal point behind the retina, so objects close up appear unclear. The correction increases the refractive power, so the focal point is moved forward onto the retina.
How we treat hyperopia
Which treatment may be relevant depends on your individual measurements and visual needs. At the free assessment, we clarify your options for eye treatment.
Before any treatment, we carry out a thorough, free assessment for eye treatment. Here we go through your individual measurements and clarify which treatment options may be relevant for you. If LASIK is not relevant, we look at whether another treatment may be an option.
LASIK
A precise laser treatment that reshapes the cornea so that close-up vision can be improved. LASIK is a frequently used laser method for hyperopia.
Typically considered for: Low to moderate hyperopia.
Treatment range: Laser treatment, ages 18–45. Short-sightedness up to −8 D. Long-sightedness up to +5 D. Astigmatism up to 5 D.
ReLEx SMILE Pro
A flapless laser method, applicable to selected prescriptions and cornea types.
Typically considered for: Selected prescriptions.
Treatment range: Laser treatment, ages 18–45. Short-sightedness up to −8 D. Astigmatism up to 5 D.
ICL lenses
An implantable lens placed in front of the natural lens, leaving the cornea untouched.
Typically considered for: Higher prescriptions or thinner corneas.
Treatment range: Permanent contact lens, ages 18–45. Short-sightedness up to −18 D. Long-sightedness up to +10 D. Astigmatism up to 6 D.
Clear Lens Exchange
The natural lens is replaced with an artificial one. Often considered from the mid-40s, when presbyopia is also present.
Typically considered for: From around the mid-40s.
Treatment range: Lens treatment, ages 45+. For all degrees of long-sightedness. Also in combination with astigmatism and short-sightedness.
What the process involves
Free assessment
A thorough assessment for eye treatment lasting around 1–2 hours. Based on the examination, we clarify which treatment options may be relevant for you.
Your options
Our experienced treatment team goes through which methods may be relevant for you, what they involve and the risks associated with them.
Treatment
The treatment is carried out with local anaesthetic drops and takes around 15 minutes per eye. Most patients therefore feel little or no discomfort.
Follow-up
Scheduled check-ups are included in your all-inclusive treatment price.
Learn more at our free webinars and information evenings
We regularly hold information evenings and webinars where our eye doctors explain the treatments at EuroEyes and answer questions.
“Many patients describe the moment afterwards as a quiet shift – simply waking up and seeing the world clearly, without reaching for glasses or lenses.”Dr. Jørn Slot Jørgensen – Founder, Medical Director and CEO of EuroEyes
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Frequently asked questions
Is long-sightedness the same as presbyopia?
No, though they are often confused. Hyperopia is caused by the shape of the eye and can be present from birth. Presbyopia is the age-related stiffening of the lens that affects almost everyone from around the mid-40s. It is possible to have both.
Can laser treat long-sightedness?
Yes, within a certain range. Hyperopia is generally treatable up to moderate levels with laser. Beyond that, lens-based options are usually the ones considered.
Why has my near vision suddenly got worse?
If you have mild hyperopia, your eyes may have compensated for years by focusing harder. As that ability naturally declines with age, the underlying long-sightedness becomes noticeable, sometimes quite quickly.
Which treatment would suit me?
That depends on your prescription, the thickness and shape of your cornea, your age and how you use your eyes. A full diagnostic examination is the only way to establish it.
Suitability guide
Which treatment options might be relevant for you?
Four quick questions for a first, no-obligation indication of which treatments may be relevant based on your answers.
Anonymous and non-binding. This is guidance, not a medical assessment or diagnosis.
Arrange your free assessment
Book a free, no-obligation assessment for eye treatment at your nearest EuroEyes clinic in Copenhagen, Aarhus or Aalborg.
