Presbyopia FAQs

What is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is the progressive deterioration of our up-close vision. This process usually starts in our 40s but may be delayed in those who are already near-sighted. Symptoms occur when you begin to notice the fine print blurring when reading up-close. Before presbyopia develops, our natural lens has the ability to change its shape when changing focus from far to near. That's why you'll notice that younger people who don't need to wear glasses can see all distances without effort. But over time, the lens loses its ability to change shape, thus our near vision gets worse over time requiring us to get reading-glasses.

Do I have Presbyopia?

Since this condition is age-related, you will experience presbyopia at some point in your life. You may have presbyopia now if you are over about age 40, and:

  • Find that print appears unclear at normal reading distances
  • The need to hold reading materials at arm's length to focus properly
  • Experience eye strain or headaches when performing close-up tasks

How is Presbyopia treated?

There are three options available to combat presbyopia: glasses, contact lenses or surgery. Many types of glasses are available to match your specific visual needs, and you should consult with a Professional Eye Associates doctor to determine the prescription that will best work for you.

If wearing glasses or contacts isn't for you, consider laser vision correction, refractive lens exchange, or cataract surgery. Laser vision corrects presbyopia by using monovision. Monovision is when your eye surgeon chooses one eye to be focused for far vision while the other eye is focused for near vision. Although, this sounds unnatural, 60-70% of patients do quite well with monovision. If you are not interested in surgery, monovision can be used with contact lenses as well. Only a minority of patients cannot adapt to monovision and need to wear glasses.

Refractive lens exchange and cataract surgery can treat presbyopia by placing a multifocal intraocular lens at the time of cataract surgery. This is a more involved process but ensures good distance, intermediate, and near vision without glasses with both eyes. Although monovision works well, multifocal implants have their advantages: good range of vision with both eyes open, better depth of focus, and more stability of time.

What's the first step to correcting my vision problem?

Contact our office to schedule a consultation. Your consultation includes a thorough examination and discussion of your treatment options. You will be able to spend as much time as you would like having your questions answered.

At Professional Eye Associates, we offer a wide range of vision correction procedures, for presbyopia, as well as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. If you're in the Dalton, Calhoun or Ellijay areas, please call or e-mail us any time to schedule your initial consultation. We look forward to talking with you!