Are You Over 40? Presbyopia Could Be the Reason for Your Poor Near Vision.
Presbyopia, a vision problem that makes it hard to see clearly close up, is a common age-related issue. Although it's impossible to prevent presbyopia, your optometrist can recommend treatment options that will sharpen your near vision.
Do You Have Presbyopia?
Presbyopia is a refractive error that happens when the clear lens inside your eye hardens. The eye's lens is responsible for refracting light onto the retina and must constantly change shape to provide clear vision at all distances. Focusing on near objects becomes difficult when the lens becomes less flexible. Moving papers and screens farther from your face may help initially, but you'll eventually need to consider other options to improve your blurry vision.
Presbyopia affects nearly everyone as they get older, even people who have never worn contact lenses or eyeglasses. According to a brief from the American Optometric Association's Health Policy Institute, almost 90% of Americans over 45 have presbyopia.
Non-Surgical Presbyopia Treatment Options
If you're struggling with blurry near vision, one of these non-surgical options may be perfect for you:
- Reading Glasses. Reading glasses offer a simple way to sharpen your near vision. Wondering if prescription or over-the-counter reading glasses are better? Drugstore reading glasses can be helpful, but are available in a limited range of lens powers. Over-the-counter glasses may not have the prescription you need and won't be effective if you need a different lens power for each eye. You'll have to guess which lens power is right for you when you try on reading glasses at the drugstore or grocery store. Unfortunately, a wrong guess could lead to eyestrain and headaches. Your optometrist can provide a prescription that eliminates the guesswork and improves your vision.
- Bifocals, Trifocals, and Progressive Lenses. Do you already wear prescription eyeglasses? It may be time to switch to bifocal, trifocal, or progressive lenses. Bifocals and trifocals include two or three lens powers separated by lines. The bottom part of the lens provides good near vision, while the other sections offer sharp far or intermediate vision. Progressive lenses work just like trifocals and bifocals, but offer a line-free solution. The various lens powers gradually blend together to provide good near, far, and intermediate vision.
- Contact Lenses. If you prefer contact lenses, your eye doctor may recommend a multi-focal lens that combines several lens powers in one lens. Monovision contact lenses offer another option. If you choose these lenses, you'll wear a contact lens set for good near vision in one eye and a lens for good distance vision in the other eye. The brain combines information from both eyes to provide clear vision at both distances. Wearing two different contact lenses can make some people feel dizzy and isn't an ideal solution for everyone.
- Eye Drops. Prescription eye drops sharpen near vision by decreasing pupil size. This creates a pinhole effect that temporarily improves near vision. The effects of the eye drops may last six hours or longer.
Surgical Presbyopia Treatments
Several types of surgery can improve presbyopia, including:
- Refractive Eye Surgery. Refractive eye surgery, like laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), reshapes the cornea and changes the way light rays enter the eye. Presbyopia can be treated by correcting one eye for far vision and the other eye for near vision.
- Corneal Inlays. A circular corneal inlay implanted in your eye offers another way to improve near vision. The inlay is placed in a small flap made in the cornea of your non-dominant eye during minimally invasive surgery. A corneal inlay isn't a good option if you have astigmatism, myopia (nearsightedness), or hyperopia (farsightedness), according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
- Refractive Lens Exchange. This minimally invasive surgery replaces the eye's lens with an artificial lens that provides clear vision at all distances.
Ready to find out more about your presbyopia treatment options? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the optometrist.
Sources:
American Optometric Association: For 128 Million U.S. Presbyopes, Doctors of Optometry Can Provide Treatment Options, 8/24/2023
Review of Ophthalmology: The Prescription Eye Drop Pipeline, 8/10/2024
https://www.reviewofophthalmology.com/article/the-presbyopia-drop-pipeline
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Corneal Inlays: A Surgical Alternative to Reading Glasses, 10/10/2024
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/corneal-inlays-alternative-to-reading-glasses
American Academy of Ophthalmology: What Is Presbyopia, 5/21/2024
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-presbyopia
American Optometric Association: Presbyopia
https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/presbyopia
National Eye Institute: Presbyopia
https://www.nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/health-pdfs/Presbyopia.pdf