Presbyopia and Aging
Contact your Titusville, FL Eye Doctor to Find Out About Treatment Options
Many adults notice signs of presbyopia or a reduced ability to focus on things at a close range, as they age. With the increasing worldwide population reaching older ages, a larger number of people are developing the condition, which is an unavoidable result of your aging eye.
Many believe that presbyopia is caused because the eye will often lose flexibility by the age of 40, making it more difficult for the eyes to focus on something, especially something close by. Sufferers often manage with near visual impairment by holding the paper far away or standing back from the object they are looking at. Transitions from looking at distant objects to closer ones can often be strenuous for those with presbyopia. The stress can add further discomfort by causing headaches, eye strain or fatigue.
The most popular corrections for presbyopia are bifocals or progressive addition lenses (PALs). Bifocal lenses are separated into two points of focus, the upper portion is for distance vision and the other part of the lens is for focusing on things that are close by. Progressive addition lenses are similar to bifocal lenses, but the transitions between the two prescriptions are more gradual and have no clear line between them. Wearers will more easily change visual focus, as they would if they had normal sight. An alternative would be reading glasses which are usually worn just when needed as opposed to all day.
Presbyopes can also opt for multifocal contacts or monovision lens correction (in which one eye is prescribed a distance vision and the other near vision) to improve the condition. It may take a while to come up with the optimal use of contacts because different prescriptions can cause discomfort or blurriness.
There are also options for other procedures including surgery available that may be worth discussing with your optometrist. A lot of patients find the most success by using a combination of options for presbyopia. Additionally, since your vision will continue to worsen as you get older, it is likely that you will need to keep adapting your correction. The good news is, there continues to be a significant amount of research being done to identify other and perhaps more permanent solutions for patients with presbyopia.
If you are beginning to see symptoms of presbyopia, call for a check up with your Titusville, FL eye doctor. Improved eyesight can be yours!
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