Presbyopia is when people (usually over the age of 40) experience blurred vision when reading, working at a computer, and otherwise. It develops as the eyes age.
It is believed to come from the gradual thickening and/or loss of flexibility of the natural lens inside the eyes. This occurs within the proteins in the lens, which makes the lens harder over time. With less movement and flexibility within the lens, the eye has a harder time focusing up close.
Presbyopia is a degenerative disorder, with the lens in the eyes continuously changing. You can expect that you will need a stronger prescription as your eyes age.
There are many different things you can do to help with the vision issues that may arise. Although there are no preventative measures you can take you can correct presbyopia with corrective glasses, contact lenses, and surgery
The most common form of corrective lenses are bifocals. Bifocal means that there are two points of focus. The main part of the lens holds the prescription for distance vision and the lower portion of the lens holds the stronger prescription for up close work.
Progressive lenses are also popular for addressing presbyopia. They are similar to bifocals, but they offer a gradual transition with no visible line between the two prescriptions.
Another choice of glasses are reading glasses, which allows for those who do not need a full prescription to wear them while at work or while reading or on the computer. Readers can be bought at a drug store, though you’ll find better quality options available at our office.
Contact lenses are a great way to address presbyopia, as they can offer the vision correction required without the need to change your appearance. Like eyeglasses, contact lenses come in bifocal/multifocal options and are suitable for most prescriptions.
LASIK surgery is used to create monovision. One eye is corrected for near vision and the other is corrected for distance vision. This allows the brain to learn to favor each eye for different tasks.