Visit your Clarksville, IN Optometrist to Learn More About Treatment Options
Presbyopia is an age-related condition in which close range vision becomes noticeably impaired. With the growing worldwide population reaching older ages, a larger number of people are developing the condition, which currently cannot be avoided.
Many believe that presbyopia is caused because the human eye will often thicken around age forty, making it harder for the eyes to focus in on an object, particularly something nearby. Those with presbyopia usually manage with near visual impairment by holding the paper away from their eyes or standing back from the object they are looking at. Transitions from looking at far off things to closer ones are often straining for people with presbyopia. This stress can worsen the situation by causing headaches, eye strain or fatigue.
The most popular corrections for presbyopia are bifocal lenses or progressives (PALs). A bifocal lens has two prescriptions for vision, one is for seeing objects from a distance and the other part of the lens is for focusing on objects nearby. Progressive addition lenses are similar to bifocal lenses, but they provide a more subtle transition between the two prescriptions and have no visible line between them. Users can more easily shift visual focus, as they might if they had uninhibited sight. A third option is reading glasses which, unlike bifocals or PALs which are worn all day, are used only when needed.
If contacts are preferred over glasses, there are other alternatives such as multifocal contact lenses. Multifocals aren't suitable for everyone and can sometimes be uncomfortable, so it may take a few tries to determine if and in what combination they work for you.
There are also surgical options that could be considered that you may want to discuss with your eye doctor. A lot of patients are most successful using a combination of options for presbyopia. Additionally, because your eyesight will likely worsen as you age, it is likely that you will need to keep adjusting your correction. The positive news is, there is a significant amount of experimental treatment on the market currently to discover other and perhaps more permanent solutions for the growing number of people dealing with presbyopia.
Noticing signs of presbyopia? Schedule a check up with your Clarksville, IN optometrist. A return to normal vision is only a call away!