The Difference Between Myopia and Hyperopia

Myopia and Hyperopia are both vision conditions that prevents you from seeing objects clearly.

People with visual impairments, specifically myopia and hyperopia, have trouble distinguishing images that are farther away or even images that are just in front of them.

In this article, you will know the difference between myopia and hyperopia and how you can discern these two eye conditions from each other.

Defining Myopia

Myopia is an eye condition which causes your eyesight to appear blurry when you look at an object at a distance.

It is also known as nearsightedness, and it is the result of an irregular front-to-back growth of your eyes. 

Defining Hyperopia 

Hyperopia, on the other hand, is an eye condition where near objects appear to be more clear than objects at a distance.

It is also known as farsightedness, and people have different experiences with hyperopia depending on certain factors.

People with severe cases of Hyperopia suffers an extreme blurred vision no matter the distance, near or far.

Based on the 1999-2004 NHANES vision examination data, clinically important refractive error affects half of the U.S. population alone among the 20-year-old demographic.

Characteristics of Myopia

Normally, people with myopia have good near vision but poor distance vision. When you are looking at a certain object or objects, usually the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye, is at work to focus on the images.

However, with myopia, the lens of the eye focuses the image in front of the retina which hampers the eyes from seeing things at a distance.

Typically, people who suffer from this condition, myopia, you can see well enough to look at your phone or computer screen but have trouble to see objects that are farther away.

Undiagnosed myopia can result in consequent headaches and eyestrain from struggling to clearly see things in the distance. 

Myopia can also be the result of a cornea, which is the eye’s outermost layer, that is too curved for the length of the eyeball or a lens that is too thick.

Two Types of Myopia

High Myopia

The conventions in eye medical condition tells us that a single eye is considered to have a high myopia if it requires -6.0 diopters or more of correction lens.

Diopters is the unit measurement for the strength of the lens. If an individual surpasses the considerable number, the probability of retinal detachment is great and this is due to the increase of high myopia.

In simpler terms, retinal detachment is the retina is the tissue in the back part of the eye that signals the brain in response to light.

When a detachment occurs, then it pulls away from the underlying tissue called the choroid.

The blood from the choroid is responsible for the supply of oxygen and nutrients for the retina. 

Furthermore, the risk of cataract and glaucoma is also probable and just equally as great with the increase of High myopia.

To give you the basic explanation of what these risks are, the clouding of the eye’s lens is what is called Cataract while Glaucoma, on the other hand, is a group of diseases that damages the optic nerve, which carries signals from the retina to the brain. 

If not taken care of, there is a high chance that you can develop these perilous risks and it is very likely that each of these conditions can cause vision loss.

Pathological Myopia

The other type myopia is the degenerative or malignant myopia. This is the condition called pathological myopia which sometimes occurs in eyes given that your myopia count is too high and when the excessive elongation of the eye causes changes in the retina, choroid, vitreous, sclera, and/or the optic nerve.

The substance that imitates the glasslike gel that fills the center of the eye, and the sclera is the outer white part of the eye.

Typically, the symptoms of pathological myopia can be first seen in childhood and it becomes worse during in the years of adolescence and adulthood.

Any known treatment cannot slow, stop, or correct the elongation of the eye.

However, with complications such as retinal detachment, macular edema which is the build-up of fluid in the central part of the retina, choroidal neovascularization which is the abnormal blood vessel growth, and glaucoma can be commonly treated.

Characteristics of Hyperopia

If you don’t look close enough and conduct a thorough observation, myopia and hyperopia can be mistaken as one and the same eye making it the most common misconception of these conditions.

However, the part where they differ from one another is from the fact that with hyperopia, the images are being focused in the rear end of the retina rather than on the retina itself.

The refraction that take place is the bending of light as it passes through one object to another.

With that being stated, vision occurs when light rays are bent or refracted as they cut through the lens and the cornea.

As a result, the light is then focused on the retina. Consequently, the retina converts the light rays into messages that are passed through the optic nerve and down to the brain.

The images that we see are the byproduct of the messages that the brain has interpreted as soon as it was received.

The shape of the eye prevents light from focusing on the retina in refractive errors.

The length of the eyeball regardless if they are longer or shorter, changes the shape of the cornea, and the aging of the lens can cause refractive errors as well.

Hyperopia develops in eyes that focus images behind the retina instead of on the retina, which can certainly result in blurred vision.

This ensue when the eyeball is essentially short, and that is how it prevents incoming light from focusing directly on the retina.

It may also be caused by an abnormal shape of the cornea or lens.

Ways to Correct myopia and hyperopia

Both these eye conditions can be treated in the means of correction. The following are the familiar ways to correct myopia and hyperopia and the benefits that entails with each options:

Eyeglasses

Your eye care professional can prescribe lenses that will help correct the problem and help you see your best.

Benefits:

• Unless your eye prescription changes, you do not have to replace your eyeglasses as often as contact lenses.
  
  Further, you do not have to invest in disinfecting solutions for contacts. In that case, eyeglasses allow you to save more money in the long run.
  
• Eyeglasses protect your eyes from sunlight, dust, smoke, and other harmful debris.
  
  The lenses act as protective covers from these external factors, which lowers the risk of developing an eye irritation.

Contact Lenses

Contact lenses, as in many cases, provide clearer vision, a wider field of vision, and greater comfort. They are a safe and effective option if fitted and used properly.

However, contact lenses are not right for everyone. For some, they can be discomforting that helpful. Discuss this with your eye care professional.

Benefits: 

• The weather condition does not typically affect contact lenses. Contacts do not fog up when you are sweating or in a cold place.
• Contact lenses adapt to the curvature of your eye. In that case, you get less frequent eye strains caused by vision distortions. 

Guide for First Time Users:

How to Put on

• Before anything else, wash your hands first.
• Then, you have to rinse your lenses with specially made solution.
• After that, take the lens with your index finger.
• Then use the other hand to hold your upper eyelid upward.
• From your hand holding the contact lens, hold your lower eyelid downward, and while looking straight ahead, center the lens unto your eye.
• Close your eyes, roll them, and blink until you feel absolutely comfortable.

How to Remove

• While looking upward or to the side, pull your lower eyelid downward with one hand.
• Then with your other hand, gently pinch the lens, moving it off of the surface of your eye.

Refractive surgery

The refractive surgery aims to permanently change the shape of the cornea which will improve your refractive vision.

Benefits:

• When you opt for surgery, it can decrease or ultimately eliminate your dependency on wearing eyeglasses and contact lenses.
  
  There are many types of refractive surgeries and surgical options should be discussed with an eye care professional.

It is necessary to consult with your eye care professional so you are given the most ideal option that is best fitted for you and your eye medical needs. 

References:

• https://nei.nih.gov/health/errors/myopia
• https://nei.nih.gov/health/errors/hyperopia#targetText=Hyperopia%20develops%20in%20eyes%20that,of%20the%20cornea%20or%20lens.
• https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/420707
• ttps://ohmylens.com/contact-lenses-or-glasses/
• https://ohmylens.com/contact-lenses-for-the-first-time/