REFRACTIVE CONDITIONS: HYPEROPIA Definition: Inability to focus on objects at near – farsightedness Hyperopia, simply put, means the patient cannot focus on things up close. They are farsighted. This happens when the light entering the eye focuses behind the retina, as seen in the picture below. Unlike myopia in which there is too much curvature in the cornea, with hyperopia there is less curvature. This causes blur to happen at near distances. Having a large amount of blur can lead to strabismus or amblyopia as well. Many patients will need reading glasses or a bifocal in order to help them see things up close. A patient with hyperopia will have difficulty with up close work such as computer tasks or reading. The inability to focus properly can cause loss of place and reduced comprehension in what is being read. Hyperopia can be hereditary, can be a result of certain environmental factors, or can be a result of poor development. Vision therapy will not be a cure for hyperopia but will help the patient learn how to properly focus and may also have a reduction in prescription as a result of therapy. Symptoms of Hyperopia:
As with myopia, a patient with hyperopia struggles with flexibility of their accommodative system. In review, our accommodative abilities help with focusing from near to far and vice versa. Patients with hyperopia who have developed strabismus or amblyopia as a result, will also struggle with binocular dysfunction. These binocular dysfunctions will be discussed in detail at a later time. In therapy, one type of activity that would be performed would aid in strengthening accommodative abilities. One example of this type of activity would be Hart Chart Near Far Rock. Below you will find the instructions for this activity per OEPF. HART CHART NF (NEAR-FAR) ROCK PURPOSE: To provide the patient with the opportunity to have the necessary meaningful experience to shift the area in space from which the person will derive meaning from along the Z axis, expanding the range as well as the efficiency and accuracy of the shifts.
Please discuss your definition of hyperopia and its causes. Give an example of an activity that can be performed to help a patient with hyperopia. Please be as descriptive as possible for the benefit of the group. Also, feel free to share any resources you may have that you think would be helpful.
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November 2017
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