Discover more about this condition and how to treat it
Presbyopia is an age-related condition where switching focus between distant and up-close objects becomes difficult.
As children, our ability to switch focus freely and with perfect clarity between distant and up-close objects was seamless. But as we age, that ability diminishes, and the switch in focus becomes more noticeable and more difficult.
The reason for presbyopia comes down to our natural lens’ loss of elasticity. This results in the need to wear different glasses for different focal lengths – near and far. Those that can currently see well at a distance will require glasses to assist close-up focus and vice-versa. This condition becomes noticeable once we reach our late 40s.
We can diagnose presbyopia with a routine eye examination.
Traditionally, people treat this condition with bifocals or glasses that feature two focal lengths. However, those who want to enjoy more freedom and convenience can opt for Lasik Blended Vision (monovision). Here we correct one eye for close-up vision and the other for distance. This removes the need for glasses altogether. Find out more about Lasik Blended Vision here.
See also long-sightedness and short-sightedness.
Can eye exercise help to reverse presbyopia?
No exercise can help reverse this normal age-related change to our focus.
I had good vision in my 20’s after LASIK. Why suddenly I can no longer see well at close up in my mid to late 40s?
LASIK can not prevent the onset of presbyopia. If you had good distance vision in both eyes earlier in life, this means you would have difficulties with near vision in the mid to late 40s. But there are solutions for this. You can remove your need for reading glasses with an additional laser procedure or with refractive lens exchange.
Should I have laser vision correction or refractive lens exchange for presbyopia?
Laser vision correction can be an effective solution to combat presbyopia in the early to mid-stages. By employing a special technique called “blended vision,” we can correct one eye for distance and one eye for near. The brain then “blends” the two points of focus to create binocular distance and near vision.
This option is not for everyone. Alternatively, you could consider multifocal refractive lens exchange to achieve binocular distance and near vision.
Can presbyopia result in blindness?
Presbyopia is a normal age-related change to the focus of our eye and does not cause blindness. Other age-related eye diseases could result in blindness if left untreated.
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Presbyopia is an eye condition in which your eye slowly loses the ability to focus quickly on objects that are close. It’s a disorder that affects everyone during the natural aging process.
When light enters your eye, it passes through your cornea. Then, it passes through your pupil. Your iris is the colored ring in your eye that opens and closes your pupil to adjust the amount of light passing through it.
After passing through your pupil, the light passes through your lens. In its healthiest state, your lens changes shape so it can bend the light rays further and focus them on your retina at the back of your eye.
Your lens becomes less flexible with age. Then, it can’t change shape as easily. As a result, it’s unable to bend the light properly to focus it on your retina.
In the past, the usual remedy for presbyopia was to wear reading glasses or multifocal eyeglasses, such as bifocals or progressive lenses.
A number of attempts have been made to develop a surgical correction for presbyopia over the years. Some, such as conductive keratoplasty (CK), initially showed promise, but haven’t gained widespread use by refractive surgeons.
Certain new types of surgery for presbyopia have received FDA approval for use in the United States, and there are also new procedures still in development or approved only outside the U.S.
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