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Presbyopia: What causes it and how to treat it

  1. Symptoms and Signs
  2. Causes
  3. Treatment


You can't escape presbyopia, even if you've never had a vision problem before. Even people who are nearsighted will notice that their near vision blurs when they wear their usual eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct distance vision.

The eye's lens stiffens with age, so it is less able to focus when you view something up close.

Researchers estimate that nearly 2 billion people worldwide have presbyopia.

Though presbyopia is a normal change in our eyes as we age, it often is a significant and emotional event because it's a sign of aging that's impossible to ignore and difficult to hide.

In parts of the world where there is no access to vision care, presbyopia is much more than an inconvenience — it's a leading cause of vision impairment that reduces people's quality of life and productivity.

Presbyopia symptoms

When you become presbyopic, you either have to hold your smartphone and other objects and reading material farther from your eyes to see them more clearly.



READ NEXT: Presbyopia And Treatments FAQ

What causes presbyopia?



Presbyopia treatment

Presbyopia can be treated with eyeglasses (including reading glasses), contact lenses and vision surgery.



Another presbyopia treatment option is eyeglasses with bifocal lenses, but bifocals provide a more limited range of vision for many people with presbyopia.

It's also common for people with presbyopia to notice they are becoming more sensitive to light and glare due to aging changes in their eyes. Photochromic lenses, which darken automatically in sunlight, are a good choice for this reason.


If you wear contact lenses, your eye doctor can prescribe reading glasses that you wear while your contact lenses are in. You may purchase reading glasses at an eyewear retail store, or you can get higher-quality versions prescribed by your eye doctor.


Contact lenses



While some people are delighted with this solution, others complain of reduced visual acuity and some loss of depth perception. Because the human eye change as you grow older, your presbyopia glasses or contacts prescription will need to be increased over time as well. You can expect your eye doctor to prescribe a stronger correction for near work as you need it.

Presbyopia surgery

If you don't want to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses for presbyopia, a number of surgical options to treat presbyopia are available as well.

One presbyopia correction procedure that's gaining popularity is implantation of a corneal inlay.

Typically implanted in the cornea of the eye that's not your dominant eye, a corneal inlay increases depth of focus of the treated eye and reduces the need for reading glasses without significantly affecting the quality of your distance vision.

The first step to see if you are a good candidate for presbyopia surgery is to have a comprehensive eye exam and a consultation with a refractive surgeon who specializes in the surgical correction of presbyopia.

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Presbyopia is a part of growing older

Presbyopia is a normal part of the aging process, and we’re all going to have to deal with it sometime after age 40. Whichever option you choose – eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery – you’ll be able to easily read messages on your phone or a book to your granddaughter without any trouble.

If you are beginning to notice signs and symptoms of presbyopia, see an eye doctor near you for an eye exam and consultation regarding the best presbyopia treatment options for you.

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