Differences between Near and Farsightedness

You’ve heard the terms “nearsighted” and “farsighted” but you might not know how they affect vision. The good news is our team at Ritz & Johnson in Ocala, FL, is here to provide you the answers you’re looking for. If you are searching for eye care from an optometrist near you, give us a call.

How a Healthy Eye Works

In order to understand these two vision challenges, first understand how the eye is supposed to work. In a healthy eye, light enters and focuses on the retina, which sends a clear image to the brain. Both nearsightedness and farsightedness are refractive errors. This simply means that they are the result of an error in how the light enters the eye, potentially causing the light to shine off of the retina and causing blurry vision.

Both nearsightedness and farsightedness require some means of correction in order for you to see clearly. This may involve corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses or contacts, as the lenses can help the light focus properly.

How Nearsightedness and Farsightedness Are Different

Nearsightedness means that you can see objects up close but objects in the distance are blurry. This might occur because the eyeball is longer than it should be, which causes the light that enters the eye to land off of the retina.

Farsightedness means that you can see objects at a distance but objects up close tend to be blurry. This may be due to the shape of the eyeball or the curve of the cornea is flat.

Get Eye Care from an Optometrist on Our Optometry Team

If you struggle to see either up close or at a distance, it may be important that you have an eye exam. Our optometry team at Ritz & Johnson, serving Ocala, FL, can help determine the best course of vision correction for your needs and your lifestyle so call us at (352) 732-7900 to schedule an eye exam today. An optometrist near you on our team is here to help.