Presbyopia (aging eyes)

What causes presbyopia?

Presbyopia is caused by the hardening of the lens in the eye. As you age, your body slows down in a variety of ways and your eyes are no exception to that trend.

Although we often take our vision for granted, the human eye can focus on details ranging from a few inches to hundreds of feet away (given the right conditions), and this is really quite incredible! This is possible because the lens of the eye has the ability to flex, changing its shape to focus light until the brain signals that the image is clear. With age, that ability to flex declines rapidly. Just as your hair and fingernails can change texture with age, the collagen in the lens of your eye becomes thicker and less pliable, meaning that a once healthy, flexible eye loses its ability to focus in on close details. Many patients find that, even if their distance vision is good, they often need reading glasses or a stronger corrective lens prescription to allow them to accomplish their daily tasks.

Treatment for presbyopia

Although presbyopia cannot be entirely avoided, certain lifestyle choices can help you keep your crisp vision a little longer.

Taking multivitamins, wearing protective eyewear, and avoiding unhealthy choices such as smoking and poor diet have all been shown to keep the eyes healthier for longer.When you find that your vision is beginning to weaken, there’s no need to worry. There are many ways to take care of your vision at this point, including corrective surgery such as LASIK, or if you’re a candidate, procedures such as refractive lens exchange.

If you want your near vision without the use of glasses, but you don’t want to commit to surgery, there are new products on the market such as VIZZ, a daily eye drop that mimics a specific level of pupil dilation to allow for a broader range of vision.