Aging and Your Eyesight – Presbyopia

Visit your Calgary, AB Optometrist to Find Out About Treatment Options

Presbyopia is a visual impairment related to aging in which objects at a close range, such as newspapers, books or sewing, become blurred. As people worldwide are reaching older ages, more and more people are developing the condition, which currently cannot be avoided.

The lenses of your eye bend when focusing on objects at differing distances. Some theories are that with age, that flexibility diminishes because the natural lenses harden. This phenomenon is known as presbyopia and is often noticed by blurred vision when focusing on things right before your eyes. This usually can start to take place any time after the age of forty. Those with the condition often cope with near visual impairment by holding a newspaper far away or standing away from the object they want to focus on. Shifting from looking at distant objects to closer ones is often straining for those with presbyopia. This tension can worsen the situation by causing headaches, eye strain or fatigue.

Most commonly bifocals or progressive addition lenses (PALs) are used to correct this problem. A bifocal lens is separated into two prescriptions for vision, the upper portion is for viewing things from a distance and a second, lower portion for seeing things nearby. Progressive lenses use the same principal as bifocals, however they offer a more gradual gradient between the separate prescriptions. Users will more easily shift focus, as they would if they had standard sight. Another option is reading glasses which are usually worn just when needed as opposed to all day.

If contact lenses are preferred over eyeglasses, there are other options such as multifocal contact lenses. It may take a couple of attempts to decide upon the best method and type of contact lenses due to the fact that different lenses can cause discomfort or blurriness.

There are also options for other procedures including surgery available that should be talked over with your eye doctor. A lot of people find the most success by using a combination of options for presbyopia. Also, since your vision will likely get worse with age, you will probably be required to continually adjust your correction. With the population growing older, there continues to be a significant amount of experimental treatment on the market currently to discover other effective treatments for presbyopia.

Seeing signs of presbyopia? Schedule a check up with your Calgary, AB eye doctor. Better eyesight can be yours!