👀 Am I Nearsighted or Farsighted? 👀

Optometrist with patient

Most eye doctors, or Optometrists, will tell you whether you're nearsighted or farsighted at the end of the vision exam, but what does that really mean? According to the dictionary, nearsightedness, or Myopia, is defined as a refractive error due to the focusing of rays of light by the eye at a point in front of the retina. Farsightedness, or Hyperopia, is defined as a refractive error due to the focusing of rays of light by the eye at a point behind the retina. With these fancy definitions, it's no wonder so many people often get the two confused. Here's a simple way to remember which is which. If you are nearsighted, that means you have better sight at near. So, things far away are hard to see. On the other hand, if you are farsighted, you have better sight at far. Learn more on Wikipedia

👓 What does my glasses prescription mean? 👓

The sphere (first) number on the printed or written prescription from the Optometrist also determines if you are near or far sighted depending on if the number is positive or negative. Grab your prescription and use the Prescription Investigator to find out what your number means!