You have been reading fine for all these years when you realize that for several days now, you need to hold that book just a little farther, look at the letters just a little longer and strain your eyes just a little more to be able to read clearly. You visit your eye doctor and he mentions Presbyopia.
"But, I have never ever had any problem with my eyes before," you protest. "What is Presbyopia?" Your eye doctor gives you a gentle knowing smile and sits down to explain to you, this very common yet easily treatable eye condition.
So, What Is Presbyopia?
With advancing age, one notices having difficulty in reading, writing, working on a computer - in general, in doing things that involve focusing or concentrating on close by objects. This is also known as the 'short-arm syndrome' as you have to hold any near by object at arms length to be able to focus clearly. This difficulty in focusing on nearby objects is due to an eye condition known as Presbyopia.
As the years go by, the natural lens of our eye keeps losing it's flexibility, becoming harder and less elastic. There is also a loosening of the muscles surrounding the lens. All this makes it difficult for the eye to focus properly, specially on nearby objects. This is a gradual change with people starting to realize it only when they start to feel the strain while focusing on close by objects.
How Do We Treat Presbyopia?
Presbyopia could be treated with the help of reading glasses, bifocals or progressive addition lenses, or contact lenses. In same cases fast, too.
If all you need is help with working on close by objects, then reading glasses will probably be your best choice. You wear them only when you need them. With full frame reading glasses, you could work for long hours writing, reading or at the computer. Half-frame reading glasses are suitable for occasional work, with the advantage of being able to see long distance objects quickly and clearly, by just peering over the frames.
If in addition to presbyopia, you already have myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism, you may need to wear bifocal reading glasses. As the name suggests, these are glasses that have two focal points. One, usually the upper half to help with the nearsightedness or farsightedness, the other lower half to aid with the presbyopia. An improvement on bifocals are progressive addition lenses (PALs). Instead of having a sharp transition between the two focal points, PALs offer a more gradual transition between the two focal points.
Contact lenses are a popular alternative to reading glasses and similar to the bifocals or PALs, you could find multifocal contact lenses, which are available in both the rigid gas permeable type and the soft lens type.
Lately, surgery is also being considered to rectify presbyopia - the procedure involves improving the elasticity of the natural lens though some new methods also involve inserting intraocular lenses to correct presbyopia.
So, you come out your doctor's office with your prescription in your hand but secure in the knowledge that with the variety of treatment methods out there, ranging in sophistication from eyewear to surgery and the wide array of designer eyewear, Presbyopia need never worry you again. Yes!
About the Author:
Suzanne Hughes is an eyewear style consultant who specializes in reading glasses. For more information about eyeglasses, vision, and designer reading glasses, visit her online.
Author: Suzanne Hughes
