Presbyopia

As the eyes’ ability to focus decline with age, it becomes difficult to see objects at near. This is called presbyopia.
Although presbyopia is an aging phenomenon that can happen to anyone, it’s important not to ignore early symptoms such as eye fatigue, blurred vision, headaches, and stiff shoulders, and to make effort such as visiting an ophthalmologist to have reading spectacles.

In this article describes following topics.

・Causes of Presbyopia
・Main Symptoms
・How to cope with presbyopia

If you feel the symptoms of presbyopia, try to reduce the burden by resting your eyes regularly.

Presbyopia is caused by a decline in the ability to change the focus as we age, so symptoms such as blurring when looking at a distance immediately after looking at a close object.

It is a symptom that causes difficulty especially when looking at objects at close distances. It’s a phenomenon that inevitably occurs in everyone with age and is different from a disease. Generally, symptoms of presbyopia, such as difficulty in seeing objects at close range and tiredness in the eyes, appear in people in 40s.

In the eye, the crystalline lens that refracts light to form an image (to focus). The crystalline lens plays the same role as the lens in a camera.
When we look at something close, the ciliary fibers that support the lens, called the ciliary zonule, relax, causing the lens to thicken and focus. However, when the lens hardens due to age-related changes, it becomes unable to focus the image on the retina.
Presbyopia causes difficulty in seeing close objects. In your late 40s, the eye’s ability to accommodate decreases significantly, making it difficult to see close objects, and by the age of 60, the eye’s ability to accommodate decreases almost completely.

1. Difficulty in reading fine print at close distance.
2. It takes time to focus on objects at different distances, from near to far and from far to near

As we get older, it becomes more difficult to read a newspaper or book up close, and it can also become more difficult to read in the dark.

The degree of presbyopia varies from person to person, but for people around 50 years old who are neither nearsighted nor farsighted, the focusing distance is about 50cm.

<Early symptoms of presbyopia that you should be aware of＞

・Feeling of eye fatigue
・Blurred vision
・Headache and stiff shoulders
・Difficulty in seeing in dimly lit places
・Difficulty in reading fine print

When you think “I have presbyopia?”, try to reduce the strain on your eyes. It’s also important to visit an ophthalmologist for a consultation.
It’s a natural phenomenon for the eyes to become more tired with age. When you feel eye fatigue, it’s important to rest your eyes first. When working continuously, it’s advisable to take a break of 10 to 15 minutes per hour.
Presbyopia isn’t a disease, but with age, serious diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and fundus hemorrhage may be hidden. If you have any symptoms that concern you, an ophthalmologist can help detect and treat them in their early stages. This is very important to reduce the progression of the disease and to make it easier to see the effects of treatment.

There are two ways to deal with presbyopia.

Correction with reading spectacles or contact lenses

People tend to avoid reading glasses because of their image, but putting too much strain on your eyes can lead to unnecessary fatigue of the eyes and body. Consult with an ophthalmologist and use appropriate reading glasses or contact lenses to reduce the strain on your eyes
Since the aging of the eyes continues until around age 60, your vision may become degraded several years after prescribing glasses or contact lenses. If your vision becomes impaired, consult an ophthalmologist and have new glasses or contact lenses made each time.

Use eye drops

Choose over-the-counter eye drops that contain ingredients that improve the deterioration of the accommodating function of the eye.
An ophthalmologist can also prescribe eye drops to improve eye accommodation function of the eyes, which can be effective if used before working on a computer or feeling eye fatigue.

If you regularly wear contact lenses, it’s a good time to gradually transition to glasses if you notice symptoms of presbyopia. In general, as we age, not only does our eyes’ ability to accommodate decrease, but tear production also decreases significantly. Decreased tear production can make wearing contact lenses more uncomfortable and drier, making your eyes more susceptible to damage.
For myopic patients, one advantage of using reading glasses is that they reduce eye fatigue, while contact lenses are convenient for those who enjoy sports such as golf or tennis.
In the early stages of presbyopia, it’s effective to reduce the power of spectacles or contact lenses, also the use of “bifocal spectacles or bifocal contact lenses” is recommended. Since these lenses have bifocal prescriptions, you can use them according to your line of sight and focus on the distance you want to see with one pair of glasses or contact lenses.

What happens if I leave presbyopia untreated?

Avoiding the use of reading spectacles may cause eye strain and physical problems. This may eventually lead to such problems as a heavy head, headache, stiff shoulders, and loss of appetite.
Wearing reading glasses does not necessarily make your presbyopia worse, so if you notice any symptoms, we recommend that you visit an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

Is there anyone who doesn’t suffer from presbyopia?

Presbyopia is a part of the aging process, and there is no one who doesn’t develop presbyopia. However, the pace of progression varies from person to person.
It is often said that “people with myopia do not develop presbyopia,” but this is incorrect. People with myopia can focus on nearby objects without accommodation, so they do not notice that they are having difficulty seeing nearby objects even when they develop presbyopia.

Is there any way to check the degree of presbyopia by myself?

Measure the shortest distance at which you can clearly see your index finger’s fingerprint. It is said that reading glasses are needed if the distance is more than 30cm. However, there may be other unexpected diseases other than presbyopia, so if you feel that you are having difficulty seeing, we recommend that you visit an ophthalmologist.