In fact, the average person is slightly long-sighted. Myopia is what most people call shortsightedness. Shortsighted people do not see distant objects clearly. The eye's lens and cornea normally focus light into an image on the retina. In a myopic eye the light is focused in front of the retina and so the image is blurred.
Shortsighted people see close objects equally as well or often slightly worse.
When their myopia is corrected, they see objects equally well. Shortsighted people have difficulty in seeing distant objects clearly. They find it hard to read road signs and scoreboards and to play ball games. Recognising people in the distance may be a problem for many shortsighted people. Often a person will not realise that they cannot see clearly but an eye examination by an optometrist will reveal the problem.