When you approach your mid-to-late forties, you might start to notice that you have trouble with reading. Being able to see clearly things that are up close is an age related function of your vision which becomes weaker as you become older. Why does this happen? Because as you age, the lens of your eye is likely to become increasingly inflexible, decreasing your ability to focus on near objects. That, in a nutshell, is presbyopia. And it's universal.
In an effort to prevent eyestrain, people with untreated presbyopia may hold printed text at arm's length to be able to focus properly. In addition to reading, engaging in other tasks at close range, for example, embroidery or writing, could also result in headaches, eyestrain or fatigue. When rectifying the symptoms of presbyopia, it is important to know that there are several options, whether you are a glasses or contact lens wearer.
Reading glasses are only efficient for contact lens wearers or for people who don't already need glasses for problems with distance vision. Even though these are easy to find at pharmacies or drugstores, it's best not to purchase a pair until you have seen the results of a proper visual examination. The reason for this is that reading glasses may be useful for brief periods of time but they can cause eyestrain when people wear them for a long time.
And for those who already use glasses, but would rather not have to wear multiple pairs, consider bifocal or multi-focal corrective lenses, or the popular progressive addition lenses (PALs). These are eyeglasses that have more than one point of focus, and the lower part of the lens is where there is a prescription that helps you focus on things right in front of you. If you wear contacts, meet with us to discuss multifocal contact lenses. There's also a treatment technique which is called monovision, where one eye wears a lens for distance vision and one eye wears a lens for close vision.
Because your eyesight continues to change as time goes on, it's fair to anticipate adjusting your prescription periodically. But it's also necessary to research your options before you decide the direction you want head in when it comes to your vision; you can be susceptible to presbyopia, even if you've had refractive surgery in the past.
Have to chat with your optometrist for an unbiased perspective. Presbyopia is a part of middle age, but the choices you make about it is always up to you.
