Presbyopia and Aging
Visit your Monona, WI Eye Doctor to Learn More About Treatment Options
Many adults eventually notice signs of presbyopia or a diminished ability to focus on objects at a close range, as they age. As people around the world are living longer, more and more individuals are developing the condition, which is an unavoidable result of your aging eye.
Theories about the cause of presbyopia are that the eye will sometimes harden by the age of forty, making it more difficult for the eyes to focus in on something, especially an object nearby. Sufferers usually deal with the situation by holding a book away from their eyes or standing back from the object they want to focus on. Transitions from looking at far away things to closer ones can often be straining for people with presbyopia. This strain can cause eye strain, fatigues or headaches.
The most common corrections for presbyopia are bifocal lenses or progressives (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 looking at things that are close by. PALs are similar to bifocals, however they have a more subtle gradient between the separate prescriptions and have no visible line between them. Users can more easily change focus, as they might if they had normal eyesight. Another option is reading glasses which, unlike bifocals or PALs which are worn all day, are used only when needed.
Presbyopes can also consider multifocal contacts or monovision lens correction (when one eye is prescribed a distance vision and the other near vision) to correct the condition. It may take a few tries to come up with the optimal use of contacts since different lenses can have an effect on your comfort or distance vision.
There are also surgical options that could be considered that should be discussed with your eye doctor. Many patients find the most success by combining options for presbyopia. Additionally, because your eyesight will continue to worsen with age, it is likely that you will need to keep adjusting the strength of your prescription. With the population growing older, there is a significant amount of experimental treatment on the market currently to identify additional effective solutions for patients with presbyopia.
If you are starting to see signs of presbyopia, book a check up with your Monona, WI optometrist. Improved eyesight can be yours!
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