Long-sightedness
You can find out if you have long-sightedness by having an eye test at your local opticians.
Find an opticians near you .
Having an eye test at least every two years is usually recommended, but you can have a test at any point if you have any concerns about your vision.
For some people such as childrenunder 16, orthose under 19 and in full-time education eye tests are available free of charge on the NHS.
Read about NHS eyecare entitlements to check if you qualify.
Your eyes will usually be tested byan optometrist (someone who's been specially trained to examine the eyes).
A number of different testsmaybe carried out as part of your eye test, possibly including:
If the tests detect a possible problem with yournear vision, you may be asked to repeat the visual acuity tests while different strength lenses are placed in front of your eyes.
This will help the optometrist to determine what your glassesprescription should be.
If an eye test finds that you're long-sighted, you'll be given a prescription that describes what lenses you need to improve your vision. This can be used to make glasses or contact lenses.
Your prescription will usually consist of three main numbers for each eye. These are:
If you're long-sighted, the Sph number is the most relevant. This is given in a measurement called dioptres (D), which describes how severely long-sighted you are.
A score up to 3D is usually considered to be mild long-sightedness, while a scoreof more than 6D is considered to be fairly severe long-sightedness.
Find out about the symptoms, causes and treatments for long-sightedness.
Find out how long-sightedness is diagnosed and what your glasses prescription means.
Find out about the main treatments for long-sightedness, including glasses, contact lenses and laser eye surgery.