If you’ve started holding menus farther away or you find yourself increasing the font size on your phone, you may be wondering if presbyopia is setting in — and whether there’s any way to avoid it. The answer is a mix of good and not-so-good news: Presbyopia can’t be avoided — but it can be managed, reducing symptoms and giving you the clear vision you’re missing.
Presbyopia is caused by natural, age-related changes in your eyes. At Long Island Ophthalmic Concepts, our team specializes in helping patients manage presbyopia symptoms with comprehensive eye care tailored to every patient’s health needs, lifestyle, and personal concerns. If you’re dealing with presbyopia, here’s what you need to know.
As we age, our muscles tend to lose some of their youthful flexibility. At some point, most of us notice a little extra stiffness or soreness, especially after a day of excessive physical activity.
Your eyes’ lenses face a similar predicament: As they age, they become less flexible and less responsive, making it harder to focus on close-up tasks like reading or computer work. This change usually begins in your early to mid-40s and progresses slowly over time.
Because presbyopia is part of the normal aging process, it can’t be entirely prevented or avoided. Even if you’ve had “perfect” vision and excellent eye health all your life, age-related changes in your lens will still occur — and you’ll still find yourself frustrated by close-up tasks that require extra focusing power.
Even though you can’t prevent presbyopia, there are some steps you can take to protect your eyes and enjoy clear vision. Regular eye exams are pivotal for confirming the diagnosis of presbyopia and ruling out other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, but require a different approach to care.
It’s also important to take other steps to protect your vision, like:
In the digital age, it’s also important to take steps to protect your eyes while using digital devices. While these devices don’t cause presbyopia, they can lead to issues like dry eyes and eye strain, problems that can make up-close focusing even more difficult. Following the 20-20-20 rule, adjusting your screen brightness, and using good lighting help reduce discomfort and prevent eye strain, making daily tasks a lot more comfortable.
The good news: Most people with presbyopia can manage their symptoms and improve their vision with reading glasses that offer varying magnification levels. While these glasses are available over the counter, many people find prescription reading glasses (or bifocals if you wear glasses for distance vision) offer far better results. Prefer contacts? No problem — there are contact lenses designed specifically for presbyopia, as well.
Although presbyopia is a common age-related vision issue, you should not assume that the changes you’re experiencing are due to aging. Any change in vision needs to be evaluated by our team so we can confirm what’s happening with your eyes and rule out more serious issues.
If you’re having trouble seeing close up, it’s time to have your vision evaluated. To schedule your comprehensive eye exam, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Long Island Ophthalmic Concepts in Bellmore and Great Neck, New York, today.
