Eyes Over 40
For some patients, presbyopia may occur beginning around the age of 40; when people experience blurred vision when completing tasks such as reading, embroidery or even working on the computer.
If you’ve never had vision problems before, you may still experience presbyopia. Even those who are nearsighted may find their vision blurs while wearing their usual prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct distance vision.
According to U.S Census Bureau data, presbyopia is widespread in the United States. Over 135 million Americans were age 40 or older in 2008 and as the county continues to age, incidence will increase The growing number of older citizens generates a high demand for corrective lenses, eyewear, or even surgery which can help presbyopes deal with their blurring near vision. Correcting failing vision is important for literacy, performing closeup work and preventing eye fatigue or headaches.
Presbyopia Signs and Symptoms
As the eye ages, the lens stiffens making it less able to focus when viewing something close up. Therefore, those who develop presbyopia will notice they may need to hold books, newspapers, smartphones or other reading material’s at arm’s length to focus adequately. While performing near work such as sewing or handwriting, they may begin to experience headaches or eye strain as well.
Presbyopia Causes
Unlike astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness which are related to the shape of the eyeball and caused by genetic or environmental factors, presbyopia is an age-related process. Presbyopia is believed to be caused by the measured thickening and loss of elasticity of the natural lens within the eye.
It’s often believed, the age-related changes happen within the proteins in the lens and in the muscle fibers surrounding it. As the lens hardens and becomes less flexible, over time, the eye has a difficult time focusing up close.