What is hyperopia? Hyperopia or farsightedness, commonly known as farsightedness, and medically called hyperopia. Hyperopia is a visual defect and the condition occurs when the eyeball is too short or the cornea has too little curvature, causing the light entering the eye to focus behind rather than directly on the retina. Where distant objects appear clear, but nearby objects appear blurry and in children, it may be a sign of strabismus. Causes of hyperopia When you’re hyperopia the light rays don't focus the way they should. Hyperopia happens when your eyeball grows to back, there are problems with the shape of your cornea or lens that helps the eye focus. These problems make light focus behind the retina, making objects appear blurry. The causes of hyperopia or farsightedness is generally related to the shape and size of the eye and its structures. Hyperopia can be caused by a shortness in the length of the eyeball from front to back. Farsightednes...