Presbyopia: When do you need reading glasses?
Presbyopia is the gradual loss of the ability of the eyes to focus on nearby objects. It is a natural and sometimes annoying part of aging. In general, presbyopia begins to be noticed between 40 and 45 years and continues to worsen until around 65 years.
It is impossible to escape from presbyopia, even though you have never suffered vision problems. You may find that you have presbyopia when you start holding books and newspapers one arm away so you can read them. Even people with refractive disorders have their vision blurred when they wear glasses or contact lenses.
According to the World Health Organization in 2016 more than one billion people in the world suffer from presbyopia and 517 million of them did not have an adequate correction through glasses. The Yaldo Eye center is a metro Detroit provider of Ann Arbor Lasik eye surgery.
Symptoms and signs of presbyopia
Presbyopia manifests gradually. It is possible that after 40 years you notice the following signs and symptoms for the first time:
- A tendency to hold the reading material further to see the letters more clearly
- Blurred vision at a normal reading distance
- Eye strain or headaches after reading or doing thorough work
You may notice that these symptoms get worse if you are tired or find yourself in a poorly lit place.
What is the cause of presbyopia?
To form an image, the eye depends on the cornea and the lens to focus the light reflected by the objects. The closer the object is, the more the lens is flexed.
The lens, unlike the cornea, is slightly flexible and can change shape with the help of a circular muscle that surrounds it. When you look at something from a distance, the circular muscle relaxes. When you look at something that is nearby the muscle contracts allowing the lens which is relatively elastic to curve and change its focusing ability.
Presbyopia is caused by a hardening of the lens of the eye, which happens with aging. As the lens becomes less flexible, it can no longer change shape to focus on nearby images. As a consequence, these images are out of focus. Lasik eye surgery Michigan can be found at the Yaldo Eye Center, led by the leading lasik Michigan surgeon Dr. Yaldo.
Treatment
The goal of treatment is to compensate for the inability of the eyes to focus on nearby objects. Presbyopia treatment options consist of using corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses, undergoing refractive surgery or using crystalline implants.
Glasses
Eyeglasses are a simple and safe way to correct vision problems caused by presbyopia. You may be able to wear over-the-counter reading glasses (without a prescription) if you had a good vision before having presbyopia.
You will need prescription lenses for presbyopia if over-the-counter glasses are not suitable for you or if you need prescription corrective lenses for nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. The Yaldo Eye center is one of the best Lasik eye surgery Michigan clinics. The options you have are the following:
- Prescription reading glasses: If you do not have other vision problems, you can use glasses with prescription lenses only for read.
- Bifocals: Bifocals glasses provide far and near correction on each lens
- Progressive multifocal lenses: This type of lens has no visible horizontal line, but has multiple magnifications to correct far, intermediate and near vision. The different areas of the lenses have different focus points.
Contact lenses
People who do not want to wear glasses often use contact lenses to improve vision problems caused by presbyopia. If you have certain disorders related to the eyelids, tear ducts or ocular surfaces, such as dry eye, this option may not be right for you.
There are several types of lenses:
- Bifocal contact lenses: Bifocal contact lenses provide far and near correction on each lens. In a type of bifocal lens, the lower reading portion of the lens contains a ballast to keep the lens positioned correctly in the eye. The new types of bifocal contact lenses offer one type of correction at the edges (periphery) of each lens and another type of correction near the center of the lens.
- Monovision contact lenses: With monovision contact lenses, you use a contact lens for far vision in one eye (usually the dominant eye) and a contact lens for near vision in the other eye.
- Modified monovision: With this option, you use a bifocal or multifocal contact lens in one eye and a contact lens for far vision in the other (generally, the dominant eye). For far vision, you use both eyes and to read you use only one eye.
Surgery
The LASIK procedure is widely used in the treatment of presbyopia, in this surgery near vision is improved in the non-dominant eye, while the dominant eye is used for far vision. It’s like using monovision contact lenses. Lasik Michigan is a difficult service to choose when searching for a Michigan Lasik eye surgeon.
Lens implants
Some ophthalmologists use a procedure in which they remove the lens from each eye and replace it with a synthetic lens. This is called «intraocular lens».
There are many types of lens implants available to correct presbyopia. Some allow the eye to see both near and far. Others change position or shape within the eye (accommodative lens). However, lens implants can cause a decrease in the quality of near vision, so you may still need reading glasses.
Possible side effects include reflex and blurred vision. In addition, this surgery carries the same risks as those associated with cataract surgery, such as inflammation, infection, bleeding, and glaucoma. If you are searching for a Detroit lasik eye surgery clinic, trust your eyes with the Yaldo Eye Center.
