Aging comes with many vision changes. For example, most people find they must hold a cereal box or book at arm’s length to be able to read. Such signs could mean you have presbyopia or age-related farsightedness.

Approximately 90 percent of adults over 45 years experience worsening up-close vision. It happens gradually. 

What Is Presbyopia?

This eye condition causes a gradual loss in the eye’s ability to focus quickly on up-close objects. It naturally affects people as they age. 

Light entering the eye goes through the cornea and the pupil; the iris adjusts the quantity of light entering it. After light passes the pupil, it proceeds to the lens. A healthy lens is flexible enough to change shape to bend light rays. In doing so, it focuses the rays on the retina.

Your eye lens loses flexibility as you age, making it unable to change shape easily. It fails to bend light properly and does not focus it directly on the retina.

Symptoms

Presbyopia symptoms involve a deterioration of doing up-close tasks or reading. It happens gradually. It often affects individuals around age 40. Common symptoms include:

• Headaches or eyestrain after doing up-close tasks or reading

• Squinting

• Difficulty reading small print

• Trouble focusing on or seeing objects nearby

• Fatigue after doing up-close work

• Need to hold things at an arm’s distance for proper focus

Causes 

The eye lens is relatively elastic and flexible when an individual is young. It changes shape or length, thanks to the tiny ring of muscles surrounding it. These muscles can also adjust and reshape the eye lens for distant and close images.

The eye lens begins stiffening and loses its flexibility as you grow older. Consequently, it constricts its focus on up-close images due to an inability to change shape. Your eye loses the capability of focusing light directly onto your retina. It does so due to the hardening of the lens.

Is Presbyopia Preventable?

Presbyopia is age-related vision loss that is part of the human condition. It is not preventable. It develops as part of your crystalline eye lens getting stiff and developing into a cataract. The lens initially loses flexibility. You begin getting frustrated due to the inability to shift focus from distant objects to nearby ones. You start holding things further away, wearing reading specs, or asking someone to help you read. 

The eye lens gradually worsens, compromising optical quality. It then gets a little cloudy and turns into a cataract. The change happens over time and worsens.

When to See an Eye Doctor

See your eye doctor if you struggle to unfocus your vision. Sometimes, you may not even know you have the problem. You may find it hard to read, along with other signs and symptoms.

Bifocal contact lenses or eyeglasses can help with accommodative dysfunction. They can change your eye focus without causing strain. You can also address presbyopia before you start experiencing uncomfortable symptoms. You can do so through contacts or eyeglasses—or surgery.

Vision changes like blurriness warrant seeing an eye doctor. Adults 40 and above should consider getting their eyes screened regularly. Consider visiting your primary medical care professional if you have headaches and blurry vision. Seek medical help if you have other concerning symptoms like eye discharge or speech difficulties. You could have a severe medical issue.

For more about presbyopia, visit Nappanee Family Eyecare at our office in Nappanee, Indiana. Call (574) 319-9390 to book an appointment today.