Presbyopia is a condition of the eye that usually afflicts people over the age of forty, in fact the term come from the ancient Greek words meaning “elderly eye”. It appears as blurred vision especially when reading, using a computer, or doing similar activities. You cannot prevent the onset of presbyopia, it is a fact of old age, but it can be treated.
If you have found yourself having to read a newspaper at arms length because the words all look fuzzy up close then your may be suffering from presbyopia. It may also result in headaches when concentrating on objects that are very close to the face, this is because of eye strain.
Presbyopia is not caused by the same factors as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. These conditions are usually due to genetic factors combined with the actual shape of the eyeball, whereas presbyopia is known to be caused by a change in the proteins in the lens of the eye resulting in a thicker layer, also the muscle fibers in the lens loose elasticity to a certain level.
To counteract the vision loss caused by presbyopia there are a number of treatments that are available. Perhaps the most common is to be prescribed eyewear. These are usually either bifocal lenses, or what is called progressive addition lenses.
Bifocal lenses have been commonly used for many years. They work by having two different strength prescriptions within a single lens. The top half will be the right value to improve your long distance vision while the lower half will be specifically for observing up close. The progressive addition lenses do not have such a discernible change in the power of the lens; instead the value gradually changes from top to bottom.
If you believe that there is nothing currently wrong with your distant vision, then you can simply wear reading glasses when you require improving the way in which you see objects and matter up close. Also reading glasses can be used by people that wear contact lenses who also suffer from presbyopia.
As people age the deterioration in the vision caused by presbyopia is likely to worsen, so whatever eye glasses are prescribed will have to be altered every now and then.
It is also possible to undergo surgery for Presbyopia. Many of these procedures are very new. For example there is what is known as Conductive Keratoplasty treatment, this uses radio waves to alter the curvature of the cornea. Also there is LASIK surgery which uses a laser to alter the shape of the cornea.
The truth on finding some great your eyes as the years progress is easy to find to find when you visit presbyopia.
