Presbyopia and Aging
Contact your Bloomington, IN Eye Doctor to Find Out About Treatment Options
Many adults eventually begin to see signs of presbyopia or a diminished ability to focus on things that are close, as they age. As people worldwide are reaching older ages, a larger number of people are developing presbyopia, which currently cannot be avoided.
Theories about the cause of presbyopia are that the human eye will begin to toughen around age forty, making it harder for the eyes to focus in on an object, particularly something close by. Sufferers often manage with the reduced vision by holding a book away from their eyes or standing at a distance from the object they want to focus on. Shifting from focusing on far off things to nearer ones is often tiring for those with presbyopia. This strain can cause headaches, eye strain or fatigue.
The most popular corrections for presbyopia are bifocals or progressives (PALs). A bifocal lens has two points of focus, the main part of the lens has a prescription for seeing objects from a distance and a second, lower portion for looking at objects that are close by. PALs are similar to bifocal lenses, however they have a more subtle transition between the two prescriptions and have no visible distinction between them. Wearers can more easily adjust their focus, as they would having normal eyesight. An alternative would be reading glasses which are usually worn just when needed as opposed to all day.
If contact lenses are preferred over eyeglasses, there are other alternatives such as multifocal contacts. It may take a few tries to determine the optimal use of contacts due to the fact that different prescriptions can affect your comfort or distance vision.
Additionally, there are surgical options that could be considered that you may want to discuss with your eye doctor. Many patients are most successful using a combination of treatments for presbyopia. Furthermore, since presbyopia will continue to deteriorate with age, you will probably be required to keep adjusting the strength of your correction. The good news is, there is quite a bit of research being done to discover other effective solutions for the growing number of people dealing with presbyopia.
Noticing symptoms of presbyopia? Schedule an appointment with your Bloomington, IN eye doctor. Improved eyesight is just a quick call away!
