Contact Lenses for Aging
Anyone who has good vision for distance either naturally, after LASIK or with contact lenses or glasses, reaches a point in life when it is difficult to see up close. This phenomenon called presbyopia usually starts in the early to mid-40’s. Nearsighted individuals may be able to take off their glasses for near tasks, but usually tire of this and use glasses with both distance and near correction. It commonly seems to come on all of a sudden that you realize you are unable to see your cell phone, can’t read small print or are having trouble with small tasks such as sewing or woodworking.
While you may be able to hold off the need for reading glasses for a while by holding objects farther away, eventually your arms become too short. Typical solutions for presbyopia are reading glasses or progressive (bifocal) lenses. We have had excellent success with monovision where one eye is set for distance and the other for near vision. The problem with monovision is that not everyone can tolerate the different images.
Presbyopia is caused by an age-related process. This differs from astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness, which are related to the shape of the eyeball and are caused by genetic and environmental factors. Presbyopia stems from a gradual thickening and loss of flexibility of the natural lens inside your eye.
These age-related changes occur within the proteins in the lens, making the lens harder and less elastic over time. Age-related changes also take place in the muscle fibers surrounding the lens. With less elasticity, the eye has a harder time focusing up close.
Presbyopia Treatment: Eyewear
Eyeglasses with bifocal or progressive addition lenses (PALs) are the most common correction for presbyopia. Bifocal means two points of focus: the main part of the spectacle lens contains a prescription for distance vision, while the lower portion of the lens holds the stronger near prescription for close work.
Of these professions, which one requires the best vision?
- Cab driver
- Airline pilot
- Baseball player
- Surgeon
- Chef
- Referee
Progressive addition lenses are similar to bifocal lenses, but they offer a more gradual visual transition between the two prescriptions, with no visible line between them.
Reading glasses are another choice. Unlike bifocals and PALs, which most people wear all day, reading glasses typically are worn just during close-up work.
If you wear contact lenses, your eye doctor can prescribe reading glasses to wear with your contacts. You may purchase readers over-the-counter at a retail store, or you can get higher-quality versions prescribed by your eye doctor.
Presbyopes also can opt for multifocal contact lenses, available in gas permeable or soft lens materials. Another type of contact lens correction for presbyopia is monovision, in which one eye wears a distance prescription, and the other wears a prescription for near vision. The brain learns to favor one eye or the other for different tasks. But while some people are delighted with this solution, others complain of reduced visual acuity and some loss of depth perception with monovision.
Because the human lens continues to change as you grow older, your presbyopic prescription will need to be increased over time as well. You can expect your eye care practitioner to prescribe a stronger correction for near-focus work as you need it.
