need for reading glasses (presbyopia)

Presbyopia is a disorder or condition that causes a decrease in focusing power as a result of the natural aging process. This is the reason why many people need reading glasses as they age.

The first signs of presbyopia usually appear around age 40. You may start having difficulty reading very fine print, such as the phone book, a newspaper, or a medicine bottle. Print may seem to have less contrast and your eyes may become easily tired when reading a book or viewing a computer screen.

Keep in mind that while some symptoms may be similar, farsightedness is not the same condition as presbyopia. Farsightedness is a result of a cornea that is too flat or an eye that is too short. Presbyopia, on the other hand, is the result of the eye's diminishing ability to change the shape of its natural lens as it ages.

A Normal Process

When you have presbyopia, your natural lens can no longer accommodate. Accommodation is a term used to describe the eye's way of changing its focusing distance. To focus on an object, the eye changes the shape of its lens. At about age 40, the muscle fibers around the lens lose their elasticity, decreasing the eye's ability to change the lens's shape, or accommodate. At this time, the lens becomes less flexible and less able to focus on a close object. It's a normal process that everyone eventually experiences.

Early on, holding reading material further away from you may help you read. This is why presbyopia is sometimes informally referred to as "long arm disease." Eventually, you may need reading glasses, bifocals, or contact lenses for close work.

Correcting Presbyopia

Unlike other common vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, presbyopia is caused by a stiffening or hardening of the eye's natural lens. This results in an inability of the natural lens to focus on near objects, which is why it can't actually be corrected by LASIK. However, there are a few treatments (none of which are currently approved by the FDA) available that you can discuss with your doctor.

Monovision treats presbyopia by correcting one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. The brain chooses which eye to rely on when you look at an object. The corrections are made using eyeglasses or contact lenses, or one of various surgical procedures. Exactly which method your doctor chooses for these corrections is based on your particular visual need.

Remember, your eyes and your vision are unique to you. As always, it is recommended that you discuss available treatment options with your doctor.