If you are farsighted, you can see objects in the distance just fine; things close to you, though, tend to be fuzzy.

The problem usually stems from the shape of your cornea. It's too flat, causing images to focus behind your retina instead of directly on it.

LASIK surgery is quickly becoming the preferred intervention. This was not always the case, according to the Southside eye surgeon and always nattily dressed Arun Gulani.

When the LASIK procedure debuted in the mid-1990s, it was only for the nearsighted. Today, many surgeons still beg off treating farsighted patients because the surgery is more difficult, Gulani said.

That's because the laser is used to make the eye "steeper," and that can only be done by indirect means. This generally entails sculpting around the edges of the eye to create a mound in the middle of the eye.

Tricky stuff.

As a result, straight-ahead LASIK isn't recommended for people with severe hyperopia (aka farsightedness). And your vision may not be as sharp afterward as someone who is/was nearsighted.

Gulani said farsightedness up to about 4 diopters (the measure of vision acuity) can be corrected with LASIK alone. Anything above that and you may want to get a kind of permanent contact lens implanted in your eye.

There are many issues to consider before getting LASIK.

One is the cost, which averages about $2,400 per eye. And insurance typically covers little if any of that bill.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that farsighted patients are more likely to see their vision fade in the years after their surgery. This is especially true for people whose lens-corrected vision is very different before dilating drops vs. after.

And keep in mind that LASIK is still pretty new and long-term results are unknown. Let's put it this way: On an FDA Web site titled "When is LASIK not for me?" the first answer is, "You are not a risk taker." 

Some 1.3 million Americans get LASIK surgery each year, industry groups say. If you're one of them, let us know what your experience was like in the comments section below, especially if you were farsighted.

Source: jacksonville.com