If you have never needed glasses or contact lenses to correct distance vision, then experiencing near vision problems after age 40 can be concerning and frustrating. You may feel like you’ve suddenly lost the ability to read the newspaper or see your phone clearly.

Actually, these changes in your focusing power have been occurring gradually since childhood. Now your eyes don’t have enough focusing power to see clearly for reading and other close vision tasks.

Losing this focusing ability for near vision is called presbyopia. The lens inside the eye gradually becomes harder and therefore less flexible to change focus from objects that are far away to objects that are close.

Due to the loss of flexibility with age, you may also experience difficulty focusing on objects in the distance such as reading road signs or seeing faces further away. For tasks such as driving this can be particularly dangerous and you may need glasses to ensure you are within protecting yourself and others on the roads.

People with presbyopia have several options to regain clear near vision. They include:

• Glasses, including single vision reading glasses and multifocal lenses
• Contact lenses, including multifocal and mono-vision
• Laser surgery and other refractive surgery procedures

As you continue to age, the loss of flexibility within the lens becomes more advanced. You may notice that you need to change your glasses or contact lens prescriptions more frequently than you used to.

Presbyopia can’t be prevented or cured, however with a comprehensive eye exam with your optometrist at Focus Eyecare we will ensure you regain clear and comfortable vision for all of lifestyle needs.