Nearsighted and farsighted vision: What do people see without glasses?

An optometrist took to TikTok to answer a common question most people with perfect vision have asked before: What do near- and farsighted people see without their glasses?

Hunter Emond racked up over 20 million views on her example of what and how a nearsighted person sees without any corrections. Nearsightedness is a condition in which you can see things clearly up close but not far away. Using a lens from her office, she made the camera’s vision blurry and showed TikTokers what it’s like to walk around nearsighted.

@hunteremond
This is an example of how someone sees with a nearsighted prescription! Make sure to get your eyes examined every year! 😊 #eyeexam #eyes #nearsighted
♬ Vacation – Dirty Heads

“I was actually shocked how clear people see the first time I put on glasses,” one person said in the comments.

“Sometimes I forget this isn’t what everyone sees,” another added.

Nearsightedness, or myopia, is very common and more than 40% of Americans have it — although it’s to varying degrees depending on the person.

According to the Atlantic Eye Institute, nearsightedness means that everything isn’t lining up correctly when light enters your eyes — instead of hitting the focal point on the retina directly, the light will hit in front of the retina. Eye proportions change as the eye grows, which is why most people who get diagnosed with myopia find out by the time they turn 20.

When it comes to farsightedness, or hyperopia, which is when you can see things far away but struggle when something is very close, Emond used another lens to demonstrate what text in a book or on a computer can look like to someone farsighted.

@hunteremond
You guys asked for it! Here is a far sighted prescription! Be sure you are getting your eyes checked yearly! #eyeexam #farsighted #blurrynearvision
♬ Vacation – Dirty Heads

“This is so crazy to [me],” one commenter said. “How they can see far but not close like HOWW?!?”

“Trying to read up close without glasses is so frustrating,” another said. “I’m always so close to being able to make the words out but instead I get a headache.”

Vision problems, especially farsightedness, are known to cause headaches. A lot of people are farsighted without knowing it because eyes can make up for some of the blurriness and can fill in the words. Left untreated, it can cause a lot of strain on the eyes.

Fortunately, vision problems can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or even surgery. Lasik is described as the most successful elective procedure in the world, with high satisfaction rates among patients and nearly 100% of patients achieving perfect vision afterward.