Near Vision Presbyopia
Peoria and Bloomington, Illinois
Near vision presbyopia is a condition that happens to everyone at some point after age 40, even if you have had perfect vision your whole life. When people develop presbyopia, they find they need to hold books, menus, and other reading materials at arm's length in order to focus properly. The extra effort necessary to compensate often results in headaches, eyestrain, and fatigue.
Causes
Presbyopia is an age-related process. The eye's lens stiffens with age, so it is less able to focus when viewing something up close. These changes occur within the proteins in the lens, making the lens harder and less elastic. Similar changes also take place in the muscle fibers surrounding the lens. Less elasticity means the eye has a harder time focusing up close, resulting in blurred near vision.
Treatment
Bifocal or progressive addition lenses (PALs) are the most common correction for presbyopia. Reading glasses are another choice. Unlike bifocals and PALs, which most people wear all day, reading glasses are typically worn as needed. If you wear contact lenses, your eye doctor can prescribe reading glasses for you to wear while your contacts are in. Reading glasses can be purchased over-the-counter, or you can get higher quality glasses prescribed. Multifocal contact lenses are another option.
Another type of contact lens correction is monovision, in which one eye wears a distance prescription, and the other wears a near vision prescription. This option works well for many patients, while some patients experience dizziness or nausea. Some find their depth perception compromised with monovision.
The lens continues to change as you age, so you should expect your presbyopic prescription to increase over time.
Surgery
Many presbyopes are opting for NearVision CK treatment, which uses radio waves to create more curvature in the cornea to improve near vision, without the compromise of distant vision. With the recent introduction of presbyopia-correcting multifocal intraocular lenses, some people undergoing cataract surgery may be able to achieve clear vision at all distances.
If you live in Central Illinois and are experiencing near vision problems, please contact us today to arrange a consultation.