Will a child normally grow out of farsightedness?
Yes, mild farsightedness is very common in young children and usually lessens on its own as the eye grows, but stronger or uneven farsightedness can stick around and sometimes needs glasses to protect vision.
Most babies are born farsighted, and the number of children with it drops sharply by age one and keeps dropping into adulthood, though severe cases raise the risk of lazy eye or crossed eyes if untreated.
Good
This is based on consistent population data, genetics reviews, and paediatric guidance rather than a single randomized trial, so it describes patterns well but not a tested treatment comparison.
What the evidence says
Farsightedness means it's harder to focus on things that are close up than things far away. Almost all babies are born a little farsighted, because their eyeballs are still short and growing.
As a child's eye grows over the first few years of life, this usually gets better on its own. Doctors call this normal growth process the eye 'catching up' to the right shape. By age one, far fewer children are still noticeably farsighted, and the trend keeps improving through childhood into the teen years.
On top of that, children's eyes have a very flexible lens that can adjust and compensate, called accommodation. This is why most farsighted kids don't complain about blurry vision even before the farsightedness fully evens out, often around age nine when eye growth slows down.
The exception is when the farsightedness is more severe, called high hyperopia, or very different between the two eyes. These cases are less likely to simply go away and carry a higher chance of lazy eye (when one eye doesn't develop normal vision) or crossed eyes. That's why regular vision checks matter.
In Canada, doctors are advised to check children's vision using an age-appropriate test after age three at routine visits, partly to catch these stronger or uneven cases early, since treatment works best before around age eight.
Sources
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Guideline
Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
HealthLink BC
Canadian source: explains eye growth usually corrects childhood farsightedness by about age 9
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Guideline
Farsightedness
MedlinePlus Genetics, NIH
Shows prevalence drops sharply from birth through childhood into adulthood
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Guideline
Myopia (Nearsightedness) in Children & Teens
HealthyChildren.org, American Academy of Pediatrics
Notes some farsightedness is normal in childhood and usually lessens as kids grow
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Guideline
Vision Screening and Eye Exams for Children and Teens
HealthLink BC, citing Canadian Paediatric Society
Canadian screening guidance to catch severe cases early
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Guideline
Farsightedness
MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, NIH
Explains children's flexible lens helps compensate for farsightedness
✓Reviewed by CH, MD, FRCPC
Reviewed by a specialist physician certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, who has read this answer against the sources listed above and confirmed it reflects them. That is not medical advice about your child. How we review
Answer checked August 10, 2026