Contact your Fairfax, VA Eye Doctor to Find Out About Treatment Options
Many adults begin to notice signs of presbyopia or a diminished ability to see objects that are close, as they get older. As people around the world are reaching older ages, more and more people are developing the condition, which currently cannot be escaped.
Your eye's lenses curve to focus on objects at differing distances. Some theories are that with age, that curvature is reduced because the natural lenses thicken. This condition is called presbyopia and is often first noticed by an increased difficulty focusing on things right in front of you. This usually starts to take place around someone turns 40. Those with presbyopia often cope with the situation by holding the paper far away or standing away from the object they are looking at. Shifting from looking at far off objects to nearer ones can often be tiring for people with presbyopia. The strain could worsen the situation resulting in headaches, eye strain or fatigue.
The most common corrections for presbyopia are bifocals or progressive addition lenses (PALs). A bifocal lens is divided into two points of focus, the main part of the lens has a prescription for distance vision and the other part of the lens is for seeing things that are close by. Progressive lenses are similar to bifocals, however the transitions between the two prescriptions are more gradual and have no clear distinction between them. Wearers will more easily shift visual focus, as they might, if they had normal vision. Another option is reading glasses which, unlike bifocals or PALs which are worn continually, are used only when needed.
Presbyopes can also consider multifocal contact lenses or monovision lens correction (in which one eye is prescribed a distance vision and the other near vision) to improve the condition. It may take a couple of attempts to come up with the optimal method and type of contacts because different lenses can cause discomfort or blurriness.
There are also options for other procedures including surgery that could be considered that you may want to discuss with your optometrist. A significant number of people are most successful using a combination of treatments for presbyopia. Also, since presbyopia will continue to worsen with age, you will probably be required to keep adjusting your correction. The good news is, there continues to be quite a bit of experimental treatment on the market currently to discover other and perhaps more permanent treatments for presbyopia.
If you are beginning to see symptoms of presbyopia, call for a check up with your Fairfax, VA eye doctor. Better vision can be yours!
