Presbyopia

Presbyopia - Age-Related Farsightedness

Presbyopia is the loss of the ability of the eye to focus on nearby objects. It is also known as age-related farsightedness. This eye condition develops gradually, over the period of years and typically starts between age 40 and age 60.

Causes Of Presbyopia

Presbyopia occurs when the lens of the eye hardens. This is a problem because the lens needs to be flexible in order to change shape when viewing things close up versus far away. When the lens hardens, it loses the flexibility that allows it to view close-up objects. This is why this condition is also known as farsightedness.

Those over the age of 40 are at greatest risk of developing this eye condition; in fact many people develop it at some point after that age. Although age is the single biggest risk factor, rarer risk factors can cause those under the age of 40 to also develop this condition. These less common risk factors include some autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disease, as well as some medications including antidepressants and antihistamines.

Presbyopia Symptoms

Symptoms of presbyopia or age-related farsightedness include: blurred vision for nearby objects, needing to hold reading material further away to make the letters sharper, headaches or eye strain after doing close work. These symptoms will develop gradually.

However, as these symptoms can also mimic those of more serious eye conditions, it is important to consult an eye doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

Presbyopia Diagnosis

Presbyopia is diagnosed by an eye doctor by performing eye exams which will include administering drops to dilate the pupils. The eye will be examined using a light and magnification, and you will be asked to look through a variety of lenses to test your vision close-up and further away.

During the eye exams, the eye doctor will also be checking for more serious eye conditions that might be indicated by your symptoms.

Presbyopia Correction

If this eye condition is diagnosed by the eye doctor, there may be different presbyopia treatment options that are available to you.

The most common method of presbyopia correction is by using prescription glasses for close-up work. In other cases bifocals or trifocals may be deemed suitable. This is when the lower part of the lens is designed to focus on nearby objects, and the upper part for faraway objects. Bifocal contact lenses are also available for those who do not wish to wear glasses, where the lower part of the contact lens is weighted in order to correctly orient the two different focusing capabilities of this type of contact lens.

Bifocal glasses and contact lenses are somewhat more difficult to get used to than reading glasses, because the two different parts of the lens may make objects seem nearer or further away than they really are, until the user has fully adjusted to wearing them. Initially, activities like going up and down stairs with bifocals may seem a little more challenging. However, almost all bifocal users fully adjust to wearing them after some time.

Your eye doctor may also suggest surgery as a form of presbyopia correction. This is likely to involve LASIK surgery to create monovision. The way this works is such that correction for near vision is done on only one eye. The other eye is left intact for distance vision purpose.

Presbyopia or age-related farsightedness is a common vision condition experienced by a growing number of people as a larger percentage of the population becomes older. Presbyopia correction methods will differ on a case-by-case basis as to what is best for a particular individual, and this also depends on whether other vision problems exist. Seek your eye doctor’s advice and consider the pros and cons of each presbyopia treatment options before making a decision.

Hyperopia