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Presbyopia and Aging

Contact your Lafayette, LA Eye Doctor to Learn More About Treatment Options

Many adults at some point experience presbyopia or a reduced ability to see objects at a close range, as they get older. With the increasing worldwide population reaching older ages, more and more individuals develop presbyopia, which is an unavoidable result of your aging eye.

Theories about the cause of presbyopia are that the human eye will often lose flexibility around the age of 40, making it more difficult for eyes to focus on something, particularly an object nearby. Sufferers often cope with the reduced vision by holding the paper far away or standing away from the object they want to focus on. Transitions from looking at far off objects to closer ones is often tiring for those with presbyopia. The strain might worsen the situation by causing eye strain, fatigues or headaches.

Most commonly bifocals or progressive addition lenses (PALs) are worn to resolve presbyopia. Bifocal lenses are divided into two prescriptions for vision, one is for distance vision and the lower portion of the lens is for seeing objects that are close by. Progressive addition lenses work similarly to bifocals, but the transitions between the two prescriptions are more gradual and have no clear distinction between them. Users will more easily shift their focus, as they would having uninhibited vision. An alternative would be reading glasses which are usually worn just when needed as opposed to all day.

If contacts are preferred over eyeglasses, you might want to consider multifocal contacts. Individuals respond in different ways to multifocal lenses, so it may take a while to decide if and in what combination they work for you.

Furthermore, there are surgical options available that may be worth discussing with your eye doctor. A significant number of patients are most successful combining treatments for presbyopia. Additionally, because your eyesight will continue to worsen with age, it is likely that you will need to continually adjust your prescription. With the population growing older, there is quite a bit of research being done to identify more and perhaps more permanent treatments for presbyopia.

If you are starting to see symptoms of presbyopia, call for a check up with your Lafayette, LA eye doctor. A return to normal eyesight is worth it!