How does the prefix 'hyper-' explain 'hyperopia' (farsightedness)?

Question

[ Etymonline : ] 
      "very acute vision," 1861, Modern Latin, from hyper- "over, exceedingly, to excess" + Greek ops "eye" (see eye (n.)), Latin with abstract noun ending. [...]

To what does the prefix 'hyper-' refer exactly? My 2 conjectures for the referent of 'hyper-': 1.  'far' in 'farsightedness'. 2. the excessively backward focal point. Though not an ocular expert, I do understand, and so ask not about, the basic medical explanation. Please tell me if I included too many pictures of hyperopia from Google:

rogermue · Accepted Answer

Hyperopia (farsightedness or longsightedness) is a condition in which the eyeball's shape causes the light rays to hit the retina before they converge.  That is, the the lens places the focal point of the light beyond the retina (hence the hyper, Greek for over, in excess). The diagrams in your question show this imaginary focal point in that position.

How does the prefix 'hyper-' explain 'hyperopia' (farsightedness)?

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