Presbyopia
What is Presbyopia?
If you’re over 40, you probably need glasses for reading. If not, chances are you will before long. The culprit is Presbyopia, a gradual, natural condition within the eye that reduces its ability to focus on near objects. Presbyopia is a very common eye condition – the World Health Organization estimates that more than one billion people in the world had presbyopia as of 20051.
Causes
Virtually everyone of middle age has Presbyopia or will get it soon. When you are young, the lens of your eye is flexible, allowing for you to easily focus between objects near and far. However, as your eyes mature, the lens in your eye stiffens, which makes it harder to focus on objects up-close2.
Symptoms
If you find yourself having to hold reading material farther than arm’s distance or have trouble seeing objects that are in close proximity, you may have Presbyopia. Other symptoms may include headaches and eye strain3. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, consult an eye care professional for a comprehensive eye exam.
Treatment
There are various eyewear options for correcting presbyopia. The older standard options are bifocals, trifocals and readers – each has advantages but many disadvantages. The newer, preferred eyewear to correct presbyopia is Progressive Lenses.
Bifocals are two-part lenses, with distance vision in the top and close-up vision in the bottom of the lens. The problem is that there is a visible line and “image jump,” which can be distracting and unattractive. Additionally, Bifocal lenses don’t provide a mid-range viewing area.
Trifocals are lenses divided into three segments: distance, intermediate and near viewing. These lenses have even more distracting lines that get in the way of good vision and good looks.
Readers are only used for up-close vision. For distance viewing, you need to remove them, peek over the top of your glasses or need another pair.
The newest, most popular solution is No-Line Progressive Lenses, which correct for distance, intermediate and near vision for more natural viewing without distracting, unattractive lines. Progressive Lenses have rapidly become the most popular choice for people who need reading correction but don’t want the drawbacks of the other, older eyewear options. Progressive lenses are designed for the way your eyes naturally view the world around you. The lower portion of the lens is for up-close, the middle is for intermediate vision and the upper portion gives you distance vision.
References
Recommended Product
Kodak Progressive Lenses offer uninterrupted vision at all distances. Kodak Lens utilizes advanced proprietary technologies to offer you the best vision, whether near or far.
