Is sudden onset of hyperopia possible in a 10-year-old?
MAR 16, 2015
Question:
Is sudden onset of hyperopia (farsightedness) possible in a 10-year-old? My daughter had an eye exam in November with no problems noted. Last week, she suddenly couldn't see her homework. She can see distance but not close up. Never had any problems before. She tried reading glasses and seems to be able to see with +2.0.
Answer:
Any person with a sudden change in glasses prescription needs to be seen by an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. A new onset of sudden change in vision can be the first symptom of diabetes and very high blood sugar, new cataracts, and many other problems. In this case your daughter has hyperopia. She may have always been out of focus for distance and near, but was able to accommodate—or change her focus zone—to keep things in focus. Eventually the effort is too much, and she may have developed something called "accommodative esotropia," that is, double vision at near. The +2.00 reading glasses help her focus. She certainly needs a complete eye exam from an ophthalmologist to sort it all out. She may need glasses for distance and for near, or bifocals, and she may also have lazy eye or amblyopia, along with this, which will require patching, glasses, and in some cases, eye surgery.