Presbyopia and Getting Older
Contact your Astoria, NY Eye Doctor to Learn More About Treatment Options
Many adults at some point begin to notice signs of presbyopia or a reduced ability to see things at a close range, as they age. With the increasing worldwide population of older adults, a larger number of people are developing presbyopia, which currently cannot be avoided.
Theories about the cause of presbyopia are that the eyes' lenses will sometimes lose flexibility by age forty, making it more difficult for eyes to focus on something, especially an object close by. Those with the condition usually deal with near visual impairment by holding a book away from their eyes or standing away from the object they are looking at. Transitions from focusing on far off objects to nearer ones can often be straining for those with presbyopia. This strain could add further discomfort by causing headaches, eye strain or fatigue.
Most often bifocal lenses or progressive addition lenses (PALs) are worn to resolve this issue. Bifocal lenses have two points of focus, the main part of the lens has a prescription for distance vision and a second, lower portion for seeing objects that are close by. PALs are similar to bifocals, but they have a more gradual gradient between the separate prescriptions and have no visible distinction between them. Users can more easily change their focus, as they could if they had normal eyesight. A third option is reading glasses which, unlike bifocals or PALs which are worn continually, are used only as needed.
If contacts are preferred over eyeglasses, you might want to consider multifocal lenses. Multifocals don't work for everyone and can sometimes cause discomfort or vision difficulties, so it may take some time to decide if and in what combination they work for you.
There are also options for other procedures including surgery available that may be worth discussing with your optometrist. A significant number of patients find the most success by using a combination of treatments for presbyopia. Additionally, because your vision will continue to get worse as you get older, you will probably be required to keep adapting the strength of your correction. With the population growing older, there continues to be a significant amount of research being done to identify other effective treatments for presbyopia.
If you are beginning to see signs of presbyopia, schedule a check up with your Astoria, NY eye doctor. Better eyesight is just a phone call away!
