What Is Age-Related Farsightedness (Presbyopia)?
This common vision problem affects all adults at some point. Here’s what you need to know.
5
min read
Reviewed on
July 2, 2024
Written by
Katherine Solem
Expert review by
Siddarth Rathi, MD
This common vision problem affects all adults at some point. Here’s what you need to know.
July 2, 2024
Written by
Katherine Solem
Expert review by
Siddarth Rathi, MD
This common vision problem affects all adults at some point. Here’s what you need to know.
July 2, 2024
Written by
Katherine Solem
Expert review by
Siddarth Rathi, MD
Are you starting to squint to read your phone? Bumping up the font size on your watch? Holding mail and other papers an arm’s length away to read them?
You may have reached the most reliable sign of middle age (typically 40s): needing reading glasses. Called presbyopia (prez-by-OH-pee-uh), this is a refractive error that makes it hard to read things up close.
But there’s good news. First, pretty much everyone will experience this rite of passage as they age. Second, the fix is easy: wear reading glasses or add a reading prescription to your existing eyewear.
Like a camera lens, the lens in the eye focuses the light onto the retina, making objects clear and crisp.
There is no way to prevent presbyopia. As we age, the lens and the muscles controlling it harden and become less flexible. This makes it more difficult for the eyes to adjust for sharp vision, especially up close.
Keep in mind that presbyopia is different from farsightedness, another refractive error that makes it hard to see things up close. Farsightedness is due to the shape of the eye. Presbyopia happens because the lens can no longer focus as well as it used to.
Common symptoms include:
Symptoms may be worse when there is low light.
Presbyopia is diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam. Your doctor will perform various tests to measure your eyes and vision. They’ll also check for other refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
If you have presbyopia, it is noted on your eyewear prescription in the SPH or SPHERE column as a positive number (with a plus sign, “+”). The higher the number, the more powerful the correction you’ll need. Most people with presbyopia are between +0.75 and +2.50. If you already have corrective lenses for myopia or hyperopia, presbyopia may be noted on your prescription in the ADD or ADD POWER section. This means adding magnification to the lower part of your lens for reading and near-vision work.
(Learn how to read your eyewear prescription.)
At first, you may be able to get by with just holding materials farther away, increasing the font size on digital screens, and turning up the lights. But eventually, you’ll most likely need reading glasses or contact lenses.
If reading up close is your only problem, you can opt for a simple pair of readers. If you have other vision correction, you can get bifocal, trifocal, or progressive glasses or multifocal or monovision contact lenses.
Prescription eye drops can now treat presbyopia. The drops work by decreasing the size of your pupil, which helps your eye better focus up close. They last up to six hours, and you need to use them every day.
Eye surgery is another option to treat presbyopia and other refractive errors. Procedures like LASIK and others reshape the cornea to give monovision. This is where one eye is corrected for up-close vision while the other is corrected for distance. You may still need to use reading glasses for up-close work even after eye surgery.
Other treatments that involve surgery include lens implants and corneal inlays. Talk with your eye doctor to learn more.
Remember, always consult with your eye doctor if you’re having trouble reading. They’ll recommend the right treatment based on your vision needs, preferences, and lifestyle.
