What is it ?
Presbyopia is a progressive loss of the ability of the eye to the “development” (or accommodation ) on a near object. In case of presbyopia, the visual acuity of close down.
Presbyopia, related to age, is a normal process of aging of the eye. It is due to hardening of the lens and a limitation of the system acting on the lens.
One of the first signs of presbyopia has to stretch out your arms to be able to read a newspaper or book (a person who reads “normally” with his elbows bent at a right angle, or with the book at 30 or 40 centimeters from his eyes). A person with presbyopia also needs stronger lighting because the more the pupil is dilated, the more troublesome the presbyopia.
Presbyopia, which is expressed in diopters, is corrected with glasses or lenses. Surgical operations also exist.
Evolution
Presbyopia usually appears around age 45 . At this age, the small characters become difficult to decipher at the end of the day or when the lighting is weak. It then evolves in stages until 65 years old.
Causes of Presbyopia
The cause of presbyopia is the loss of elasticity of the lens . The muscles that act on this lens become too rigid over the years. The lens can no longer play its role properly in the accommodation of vision (focusing, as for a camera). The image of nearby objects becomes blurred.
Diagnostic of Presbyopia
The ophthalmologist diagnoses a presbyopia by a vision test. A visual acuity test (it measures a person’s vision and assesses their ability to focus on an object) is done from near and far. To check good eye health, dilation of the pupils to examine the inside of the eye may be necessary.
SYMPTOMS of Presbyopia
The symptoms of presbyopia are as follows:
- Difficulty reading, need to move away his book to see net
- Blurred vision of near
- Headache
- Eye fatigue
Risk factors for Presbyopia
The age is the main risk factor for developing presbyopia. It is indeed with the years that the crystalline lens is rigidified and no longer plays its role.
There are some forms of early presbyopia that start before age 40. These cases are often due to medication or the appearance of certain diseases. Diabetes or certain cardiovascular diseases increase the risk of developing early presbyopia.
Prevention
Since presbyopia is linked to aging, it is difficult to prevent it. However, taking care of your eyes and protecting them remains essential.
It is useful to regularly consult a specialist in vision and to treat as well as possible some chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension which, not taken into account, can weaken the eye. It is also important to protect your eyes from the sun and to use eyeglasses adapted to your eyesight.
Medical treatments of Presbyopia
The treatment of presbyopia involves wearing glasses or contact lenses that are obviously suitable for activities such as reading.
Glasses can only correct near vision. But the same person can be both myopic and presbyopic, the two visual defects that can be corrected by the same pair of glasses with bifocals (the top of the glass for far vision and the bottom of the glass for vision Careful, some people have trouble adapting to this kind of glasses). Progressive lenses allow them to see near, far, and in between. There are also progressive contact lenses.
In general, you are advised to change your glasses every two years or so, depending on the evolution of your vision. It is the ophthalmologist who will prescribe lenses or lenses adapted to correct vision.
Finally, it is possible to treat presbyopia by surgery, by laser or by implant placement. There are different surgical techniques. The choice is made from many criteria: age, state of the lens, other associated vision problems, etc …
