What does hyperopia mean in terms of vision?

Hyperopia refers to a vision condition commonly known as farsightedness. In hyperopia, distant objects may be seen more clearly than those that are near, making it challenging for individuals to focus on close-up tasks like reading or sewing. This condition occurs when the eyeball is too short, or the cornea has too little curvature, causing light rays entering the eye to focus behind the retina.

As a result, people with hyperopia typically struggle with clarity in close-range vision, which can lead to eye strain and headaches if they frequently attempt to see near objects without proper corrective lenses. Corrective lenses for hyperopia are designed to bend light rays so that they focus directly on the retina, improving visual acuity at close distances.

The other options refer to different visual impairments. Near-sightedness, for instance, is characterized by difficulty seeing distant objects clearly. Color blindness involves a reduced ability to distinguish between certain colors, and light sensitivity (also known as photophobia) refers to discomfort in bright light or glare, which are not related to the definition of hyperopia.