Vision After 40

Presbyopia comes with aging so at some point glasses will become inevitable to all…

After forty years of age, the vision of near objects begins to weaken. It is a natural change which affects everyone regardless of whether the person has worn glasses in the past. The condition, called presbyopia, makes it more difficult to read, sew and work on a computer. It is caused by the loss of elasticity of the ocular lens and it’s possibility to focus on close objects. As a result, the vision of objects close to us becomes reduced. Unfortunately, there is no chance of improvement, so glasses or lenses are needed.

The first symptoms of presbyopia

What are the difficulties you can experience? The first symptoms include inability to read small print (especially in darkened environments), tired eyes after longer reading, unclear vision of near objects or instant blur when changing different viewing distances. Common symptoms are also eye fatigue or headache when working at near. If you cannot read messages on your cell phone display anymore, it is a sufficient indication that you need to see your eye doctor.

How to prevent presbyopia?

There is no cure for presbyopia, nor is it possible to prevent it. Only the consequences of this condition can be eliminated. As the ocular lens becomes increasingly less elastic with time, the amount of dioptre required for visual correction increases from about +0.50 up to + 3.00 for persons over 60 years of age.

The growth of diopter

As you get older, the diopter increases, with the fastest growth between 45 and 55, while the growth stops between 55 and 60 years of age. A person who does not wear myopia glasses usually will at the age of 60 have the need for reading glasses of + 2.50 to + 3.0 diopters. Reading and working diopters remain unchanged until the end of life if no ocular diseases such as cataract or glaucoma develop.

Presbyopia is corrected by glasses, contact lenses or a surgical procedure. The most common correction is with prescription eyeglasses, which can be for one distance or for two and more distances, called bifocal and multifocal glasses. If a person does not want to wear glasses, they can try progressive contact lenses. These soft lenses allow people to see normally at all distances. However, they are limited to certain diopters and do not cover astigmatism which requires a cylindrical lens.

Progressive glasses for all distances

Do you use reading glasses? Or do you need glasses for distant vision? Do you have multiple glasses with different diopters and are you constantly changing them? For those who respond positively to these questions, the solution is called progressive glasses, often referred to as one glasses for all distances. By using progressive glasses, you do not have to carry more pairs of glasses with you, constantly look for them and change them. Progressive or multifocal lenses, as their name suggests, provide sharp vision at all distances, unlike bifocal lenses, which provide sharp vision at just two distances. Progressive eyeglasses have diopters for all distances. They can be transparent, photosensitive or sunglasses.

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