How Age Affects Your Vision - Presbyopia

Visit your Lambertville, NJ Eye Doctor to Learn More About Treatment Options

Presbyopia is a visual impairment that comes with age in which the ability to focus on objects at a close distance becomes noticeably diminished. With the increasing international population reaching older ages, a significant number of people are developing presbyopia, which is an unavoidable result of your aging eye.

Many believe that presbyopia is caused because the eye will begin to harden around the age of forty, making it more difficult for eyes to focus in on an object, particularly something close by. Sufferers usually manage with the reduced vision by holding a book far away or standing back from the object they are looking at. Shifting from looking at distant things to closer ones is often straining for those with presbyopia. The tension can worsen the situation by causing eye strain, fatigues or headaches.

The most popular solutions for dealing with presbyopia are bifocals or progressives (PALs). Bifocal lenses are divided into two prescriptions for vision, the main part of the lens has a prescription for viewing objects from far away and a second, lower portion for looking at things that are close by. PALs work similarly to bifocal lenses, however the transitions between the two prescriptions are more gradual and have no visible distinction between them. Users can more easily change their focus, as they could with normal eyesight. An alternative would be reading glasses which are usually worn just when needed as opposed to all day.

If contact lenses are preferred over glasses, there are other alternatives such as multifocal contacts. Multifocals aren't suitable for everyone and can sometimes be uncomfortable, so it may take a while to determine if and in what combination they work for you.

Furthermore, there are surgical options that could be considered that may be worth discussing with your optometrist. Many patients find the most success by combining treatments for presbyopia. Additionally, because presbyopia will likely deteriorate with age, you will probably be required to keep adjusting your correction. The positive news is, there is quite a bit of research being done to discover more effective treatments for presbyopia.

Noticing symptoms of presbyopia? Call for a visit with your Lambertville, NJ optometrist. Better eyesight is worth it!

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