The natural aging process of the human body can cause a number of changes. As we age, our eyes start to lose some of their flexibility, causing the lenses in our eyes to become less flexible. This is known as presbyopia, and it affects the majority of people over 40 years old. For those who already wear glasses or contacts, presbyopia makes things a little more complicated. Read on to learn more about this condition and how you can manage it.
The Symptoms of Presbyopia
Presbyopia can cause several different symptoms, including blurred vision when reading or looking at things up close, difficulty seeing far away objects clearly and headaches caused by squinting or straining your eyes to see better. If you experience any of these symptoms, then you may be suffering from presbyopia and should visit an optometrist for an eye exam.
Managing Presbyopia
The most common way to manage presbyopia is with reading glasses or bifocals (or even trifocals if you spend a lot of time on computers). Depending on your needs, your optometrist may also suggest combining contacts with reading glasses or wearing progressive lenses. Progressive lenses are basically two lenses combined into one pair of glasses, with the prescription for presbyopia nestled towards the bottom and the prescription for nearsightedness taking up the rest of the lens. As presbyopia gets worse, you may need a stronger prescription for reading glasses or bifocals in order to keep up with your changing vision needs.
Presbyopia is an unavoidable part of aging that affects almost everyone over 40 years old. While there’s no way to prevent it from happening, understanding what it is and how it affects your vision can help you find ways to manage it effectively. Talk to your optometrist about what options are available for managing presbyopia so that you can keep enjoying clear vision both near and far!