Diagnosis and treatment
What is presbyopia and why does reading up close get harder after forty?
What are the main things to know?
- Presbyopia is age-related long-sightedness: after the age of forty the lens loses its elasticity
- Small print has to be held further away from the eyes to be seen clearly
- It develops in everyone with age, whether or not there were vision problems before
- It is corrected with reading glasses, progressive lenses or contact lenses
How do you recognise presbyopia?
- Text has to be held further away in order to read it
- Tired eyes when reading or working with small details
- The need for brighter light in order to read
- Headache after long periods of close work
Why does presbyopia develop?
Every person has a natural optical lens inside the eye - the crystalline lens. While we are young it stays as flexible and soft as possible. A special muscle inside the eye instantly adjusts its shape the moment you shift your gaze from distant objects to the text in your phone or in a book. This mechanism is called accommodation. Gradually, over the years, the lens becomes denser and loses its elasticity. Because of that it gets harder for the eye muscle to change its curvature enough to give a sharp picture at close range. This is exactly how presbyopia develops - the natural age-related decline of near vision. It is a completely normal physiological stage in the life of our body, one that awaits everyone, much like going grey.
When should you see an ophthalmologist about presbyopia?
If after the age of forty reading up close has started to require more light and more distance, or if your usual distance glasses have stopped working for reading.
How can I help with presbyopia?
I determine the degree of presbyopia and select the type of correction - reading glasses, progressive lenses or contact lenses - taking into account whether there are other refractive errors as well.
Questions patients ask most often
What do patients ask most often?
Can presbyopia be stopped?
No, it is an age-related process that continues over the years, but correction - glasses or lenses - allows you to see clearly up close. I select the option individually at the appointment.
I am over forty and reading has suddenly become difficult. Is that normal?
Yes, this is the typical age for presbyopia to begin. An examination is needed to determine the degree precisely and to select correction.
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