What is farsightedness and nearsightedness?
What is the difference between being nearsighted or farsighted?
If you are nearsighted, you can see what is close, but everything that is far away becomes blurry! If you are farsighted, you have difficulty seeing what is close. On the other hand, you can spot an ant crawling across a table from 10 meters away. Find out more about what it means to have farsightedness or nearsightedness below and find out whether you need Distance glasses or plus glasses .
Is long-sightedness + or -?
When you are long-sighted, this means that you use + in Power, while as near-sighted you use - in Power. At HART & HOLM you will find both glasses that suit those who are long-sighted and use +, and those who are near-sighted and use -.
In our selection of reading glasses, you will find all our + glasses for long-sightedness. If, on the other hand, you are looking for Distance glasses for myopia, then you will find the selection for you in our Distance glasses .
Therefore, you are nearsighted or farsighted!
About 20% of all people are born with, or become either nearsighted or farsighted during their teenage years.
Farsightedness or nearsightedness can be caused by many different things. Most often, it is because the distance between the eye's lens and the retina is incorrect and the visual impression therefore hits either in front of or behind the retina. You can say that the focus is wrong.
Are you out of focus?
If you are nearsighted, the focus is in front of your retina, but if you are farsighted, the focus is too far back. When you wear glasses, you put an "extra lens" on the outside of the eye's lens. The glasses thus help the lens of the eye so that the focus is correct. Almost all people get their eyesight in their mid-40s at the latest. You become farsighted and need reading glasses. This is because the lens of your eye gets harder with age and the muscles you use to focus get weaker. In general, you can therefore say that you will become more far-sighted with age. You can read much more about ageism HERE .
Your eyes are absolutely amazing
- so take good care of them.
Your most important sense!
Did you know that out of your 5 senses, your sight is the most important. Your brain therefore spends most of its energy on keeping an eye on what your eyes are telling it.
This is how your eye works!
Your eye has 4 very important parts. Your cornea, lens, retina and optic nerve.
The cornea
Your cornea sits on the outer edge of your eye and protects it from dust and other things that can get into your eye. In addition to protecting your eye, the curvature of the cornea affects how light is refracted on its way into your eye, and therefore how you see.
The lens
You use the lens of the eye to focus. The eye is focused by making the lens either larger or less thick. The lens is suspended in small threads. When you focus, you use your muscles around the eye to tighten or loosen the threads. When the threads pull on the lens, it either expands and becomes thinner, or it contracts and becomes thicker.
The retina
The retina is the film screen where what you see becomes images. It is filled with approx. 7 million small light-sensitive pins and 125 million spell. The taps are so sensitive that they can see the difference in the color spectrum of the light. There are 3 different types of studs, which each have their own colors. The rods are approx. 100 times as light sensitive as the taps. They only respond to white light and are the ones you use when it gets dark. The studs make up your night vision. Near the center of the retina there is a spot where there are only rods. The place is called the yellow spot. It is the most sensitive area of the retina, and the area that is used to focus.
The optic nerve
The optic nerve is stuck behind the macula, and is the connection between your eyes and your brain. A kind of data cable. The optic nerve sends approx. 40 million bit data per second up to your brain. Fortunately, your brain does not use all the data, but only the most necessary.
Your brain chooses what you see!
Your vision is divided into central and peripheral vision. The central view is the one you use when you consciously look at something. That is, what is in the center of your field of vision. For example, when you read, cook or write an email. Your peripheral vision is everything that goes on at the edge of your field of vision. It's all the things you see but don't usually notice. Your peripheral vision is particularly alert to anything that is moving. So a kind of alarm system. It is your peripheral vision that sounds the alarm if you are about to spill your coffee, and that allows you to grab the cup before it spills over. In the center of your field of vision, you have a blind spot. Fortunately, the eye constantly moves in small jerks. Therefore, your brain can fill in the blind spot so you don't realize it's there.
How do I find the right spectacle Power for me?
If you are in any doubt as to what your spectacle Power is and whether you are long-sighted or near-sighted, it may be a good idea to stop by an optician. Nearsightedness and farsightedness most often develop in the teenage years. However, the vast majority will also experience that farsightedness comes with age. When long-sightedness comes with age, it is also called presbyopia. It typically occurs when you are between 40 and 50 years old, because the lens of the eye becomes harder with age and the muscles of the eye become more relaxed. The first time you will typically need to use the Power +1.00. After this, a general rule is that your Power will increase by +0.5 every 5 years. When you are around 60 years old, the Power will become more stable. Always remember that it is of course individual how exactly your vision develops.
If you order the wrong Power from HART & HOLM, we offer a Power guarantee. This means that you can exchange for another Power if you order the wrong Power for home the first time - completely free of charge.
Back to Blog
