How Age Affects Your Eyesight - Presbyopia
Visit your James Island, SC Optometrist to Learn More About Treatment Options
Presbyopia is an age-related condition in which objects at a close range, such as newspapers, books or sewing, become blurred. As people worldwide are reaching older ages, a larger number of people are developing the condition, which currently cannot be avoided.
The lenses of your eye bend when focusing on objects at varying distances. Some theories are that as you grow older, that curvature gets diminished because the lenses lose their give. This condition is known as presbyopia and is often noticed by blurred vision when reading or seeing objects at a close distance. This often starts to take place around the age of 40. Sufferers usually manage with the reduced vision by holding the paper away from their eyes or standing back from the object they are looking at. Transitions from focusing on far away objects to nearer ones are often tiring for those with presbyopia. The tension can add further discomfort resulting in eye strain, fatigues or headaches.
Most of the time bifocals or progressives (PALs) are used to resolve presbyopia. A bifocal lens is divided into two points of focus, the upper portion is for viewing objects from a distance and the other part of the lens is for seeing objects nearby. PALs work similarly to bifocals, but the transitions between the two prescriptions are more gradual and have no clear distinction between them. Wearers can more easily change focus, as they would with normal sight. A third option is reading glasses which are usually worn just when needed as opposed to all day.
If contacts are preferred over eyeglasses, you might want to consider multifocal contact lenses. It may take some time to decide upon the optimal use of contacts due to the fact that different lenses can cause discomfort or blurriness.
There are also surgical options available that should be talked over with your optometrist. A significant number of patients are most successful combining options for presbyopia. Additionally, because presbyopia will likely worsen with age, it is likely that you will need to continually adjust your correction. The positive news is, there continues to be a significant amount of research being done to discover more and perhaps more permanent solutions for patients with presbyopia.
Noticing signs of presbyopia? Book a visit with your James Island, SC optometrist. A return to normal eyesight is only a quick call away!
