Presbyopia is an all too common age vision issue which causes trouble in seeing close up. In the 40s most people notice it when they report that reading has become more difficult or they have been putting the phone out at arm’s length.
The good news is that presbyopia is a natural process which is well known and which you can handle. With the right corrective options most patients may continue to do fine and see well for work, reading and going about daily life.
What Is Presbyopia?
It is a process of the eyes’ progressive loss of focus on nearby objects as we age. What we see as a refractive error which mostly comes from the lens becoming less elastic over time. In a young eye the natural lens changes shape very well to focus on distant and nearby objects.
As we age that lens becomes hard and less flexible which in turn causes near vision to go blurry. This is why many people first notice issues with reading, threading a needle, or checking phone messages.
Presbyopia Causes
The primary causes of presbyopia causes are age-related changes in the crystalline lens and the eye’s focus system. As we age the lens hardens and also its elasticity goes down which in turn reduces accommodation of the eye’s ability to change focus for near work.
Also some people may develop presbyopia causes before what is considered to be the expected time. Risk factors which may play a role include farsightedness, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, certain medicines like antidepressants or antihistamines, and previous lens based surgery. In that sense age is the main factor but it isn’t the only one.
Presbyopia Symptoms
The primary symptom is blurry near vision. Also patients report they require more light, for example for reading at arm’s length, or that they are having to change the focus of their eyes frequently between close up and distance tasks.
Also we see symptoms like eye strain, headaches after reading, bringing books and phones out to arm’s length, and trouble with small print. Also some people report that near work tires them out much more quickly which was not the case before, especially at the end of the day.
Best Corrective Measures
The right treatment depends on the degree to which near vision change is an issue in your day to day. For many people the first and also the easiest solution is reading glasses or progressive lenses.
1. Reading glasses or progressive lenses
Here are the most common and practical presbyopia causes correction methods. Reading glasses for close work, progressive lenses which correct distance, intermediate and near vision in one pair.
2. Bifocal or multifocal contact lenses
Contact at your disposal we have many choices for those that do not care for wearing glasses all the time. Multifocal lenses which provide several focus points are an option, also we have monovision contact lenses which use one eye for distance and the other for near work.
3. Refractive surgery
Some patients opt for a more permanent solution and ask about refractive surgery or LASIK. LASIK may also improve reduction in reading glasses in certain patients also especially if they are good candidates for monovision or presbyopia causes corrective methods, however it does not reverse age related changes to the lens.
4. Lens-based procedures
For certain individuals at the time when cataracts are beginning to form, lens based surgery may be a better option as compared to corneal laser correction. This may include Refractive Lens Exchange or cataract surgery which in turn includes the use of a suitable intraocular lens which we choose based on the patient’s eye health and visual requirements.
How Doctors Choose the Right Option
We usually decide based on age, prescription, dry eye, work style, and whether the patient wants a temporary or longer-term solution. A person who only needs help for reading may do very well with glasses, while someone who is highly active and wants less dependence on spectacles may ask about surgery.
It is important to remember that presbyopia is not a disease in the usual sense. It is part of normal aging, so treatment is about improving quality of life rather than “curing” a problem.
Presbyopia at Vasan Eye Care
At Vasan Eye Care we do a in depth eye exam first to confirm the diagnosis and then we present to you the best correction option for you. For some patients that may be as easy as a pair of glasses; for others we may recommend contact lenses, eye treatments or we may have a chat about laser or another refractive surgery option if that is what they are looking at.
We aim to find the most comfortable and practical solution for each individual’s daily life. Good presbyopia causes management doesn’t have a one size fits all solution. It is about us as a practice tailoring the correction to the patient in front of us.
Key Takeaways
Presbyopia causes a vision issue which comes with age and which we see typically in our early to mid 40’s.
Main causes are lens hardening and reduced accommodation, but some medical conditions and drugs can bring on symptoms at an earlier age.
Common solutions are reading glasses or progressive lenses, we also have contact lenses and surgery which do well for a selected group.
An eye exam is the way to go in determining what is the best fit for you out of the simple optical corrections or a more advanced option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Presbyopia is the progressive loss of near focus which takes place as we age. At around age 40 we begin to see it in most people which also includes difficulty with close work.
Presbyopia is primarily due to the natural process of the lens in the eye which is losing its flexibility and hardening. Also some diseases, medications, or previous eye surgery may bring it on at an earlier age.
There is no correction for presbyopia as it is part of the natural aging process. But it is very effectively managed with glasses, contact lenses, or in some cases with surgery.
While some do see improvement in that they use less of the reading glasses, we do not use LASIK to treat presbyopia at its root. Best option varies based on the condition of the cornea, dryness, your lifestyle, and if a monovision approach or another refractive strategy is right for you.
There is no best age for that, what we correct at that point is more on symptoms and eye health rather than age. By the 40s many people are first noting a need for help, also what we do at that time is a moving target it changes with time.
Reference Links
- National Eye Institute – Presbyopia
https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/eye-conditions-and-diseases/presbyopia
2. American Academy of Ophthalmology
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-presbyopia
3. PMC NCBI – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1705655/