Did you ever wonder why it gets more difficult to see small print as you get older? As time passes, the lens of your eye becomes more and more inflexible, decreasing your ability to focus on close objects. This is called presbyopia.
To prevent having to strain their eyes, people with undiagnosed presbyopia may hold reading material at arm's length in order to focus properly. Additionally, engaging in other tasks at close range, for example, sewing or handwriting, could also lead to headaches, eyestrain or fatigue. If you are ready to deal with presbyopia, there are several options available, regardless of whether you are a glasses or contact lens wearer.
Reading glasses are generally most efficient for contact lens wearers or for people who don't already need glasses for issues with distance vision. These are readily available, but it's better not to purchase a pair until you have the advice of an eye care professional. Too often cheap reading glasses may help for short periods of reading but they can eventually cause fatigue with extended use.
If you already wear glasses, consider bifocal or multi-focal corrective lenses, or PALs (progressive addition lenses), which are quite popular. These are glasses that have separate points of focus; the lower part has the prescription for seeing text and tasks at close distances. If you already wear contacts, it's best to talk to your eye care professional about multifocal contact lenses. Additionally, you may be able to benefit from a treatment approach called monovision, where you wear one contact lens to correct near sightedness in one eye and another to correct far sightedness in the other eye.
Due to the fact that your sight continues to change as you grow older, it's fair to anticipate adjusting your prescription periodically. However, it's also necessary to research all the options before you decide the direction you want head in when it comes to your vision; you can be susceptible to presbyopia, even if you've had refractive surgery.
It's best to speak to your eye care professional for a helpful perspective. Vision changes as you reach middle age and we want to help you deal with your vision in the way that's best for you.
