Prepare for the MCAT Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior Test. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions with hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Farsightedness is referred to as hyperopia. This condition occurs when light entering the eye is focused behind the retina, leading to difficulty in seeing nearby objects clearly while distant objects may appear clearer. Hyperopia often arises due to the eyeball being too short or the cornea having too little curvature, which results in the light rays converging behind the retina rather than directly on it.

In contrast, myopia is characterized by nearsightedness, where nearby objects are visible but distant ones are blurry, due to the eyeball being too long or the cornea being too curved. Presbyopia is a type of farsightedness that typically occurs with age and involves a loss of the eye's ability to focus on near objects, resulting from the hardening of the lens. Astigmatism is a refractive error that results from an irregular shape of the cornea or lens, causing blurred vision at all distances.

Understanding these distinctions is important for recognizing how different visual impairments affect vision and how they can be treated.