If you have been hearing more and more about presbyopia, you are not alone. People who are aging are going through more and more changes and this includes the eyes. Part of the eye’s natural process of aging, presbyopia is corrected easily. The technical definition of presbyopia is the loss of the ability of the eyes to alter its focusing to see near objects. As natural as wrinkles, presbyopia is not a disease. As a matter of fact, at one point in their life or another, every person will be affected by this condition. Generally, presbyopia begins appearing at about forty years of age. Often, this is confused with being far sighted. However, there is a difference in the two. Presbyopia occurs when the natural eye lenses lose its flexibility. On the other hand, becoming far sighted is a result of the eyeball’s natural loss of shape, as it causes the rays of light to incorrectly bend the moment they enter the eyes.
Diagnosis
Presbyopia is diagnosed after a comprehensive examination of the eyes is undergone by people who notice a change in their eyesight. It can also be detected in folks going through a normal and routine eye exam that have not noticed any changes themselves. If you notice any changes in the way you see things, or notice that you are not reading the same way that you used to, it is best to make an appointment with your eye doctor immediately.
Presbyopia Symptoms
The symptoms of presbyopia include fatigue or headaches from doing work that involves looking closely at a book, any object or a computer monitor. At a normal distance for reading, blurred vision is another symptom of this condition. The need for holding material you are reading at the length of your arms is another symptom of presbyopia.
There is No cure
There is no cure for presbyopia. Rather, reading glasses, contact lenses or prescription glasses are used to treat this. Also, bifocals or progressive addition lenses are also used for presbyopia correction. Often, bifocals are recommended. These are glasses that have one spectacle lenses that have 2 different prescriptions. The lens top part is created for helping people see things up close. Similar to bifocals, progressive addition lenses are made for having a blended or gradual transcription between the 2 prescribed lenses.
Conductive Keratoplasty
Also known as CK, conductive keratoplasty is a surgery procedure available for folks with presbyopia. Rather than lasers, radio waves are used for conductive keratoplasty. This was one of the most popular surgical procedures for the eyes in the past but is no long as popular.
Karna Inlay
A karna inlay is the first implant of its kind to be approved by the FDA to treat presbyopia. This is when an implant to help improve near vision is placed in one eye surgically. This implant is approved only for people who have not had surgery for cataracts.
To treat presbyopia, find out what the best procedure is for you. Every person has a different level of this condition and your eye doctor will know what will work best for you.
