What is simple hypermetropia?
This type of hypermetropia is commonly seen. It is usually a continuation of the childhood hypermetropia which has not regressed with time. Most normal infants when they are born have a hypermetropia of plus 4 dioptres. This is due to a variety of factors though the main reasons are a shorter eye and a forward-placed lens. As the child grows older, the length of the eyeball increases to normal and the hypermetropia usually goes away by the age of 5 years. Thus, simple hypermetropia, more often than not, is just a case of an eye that has not grown in length sufficiently. The power rarely increases beyond 4 or 5 dioptres. The importance of this type of refractive error is that it often leads to, and is combined with, squint, and hence early recognition is important. What is acquired hypermetropia? The commonest cause of this condition is removal of the crystalline lens after the operation of cataract. Since the lens has been removed it has to be replaced by another plus spectacle lens. A
