Presbyopia is the gradual loss of the ability to focus on close-up objects. It is a natural process which manifests itself most frequently between the ages of 40 and 50 and gets worse until the age of 60.

A presbyopia is the gradual loss of the ability to focus on close-up objects. It is a natural process which manifests itself most frequently between the ages of 40 and 50 and gets worse until the age of 60.

It is first discovered when we notice the need to move the reading away or to look for more light to be able to see smaller characters. It sometimes appears suddenly, one day you can read the newspaper and the next day you can't, even if you stretch your arm out.

It can be corrected by wearing glasses, contact lenses or surgery.

It is a generally gradual condition, which manifests itself after the age of 40:

  • Tendency to pull reading away to be able to focus on the letters;
  • At normal distance there is blurring of vision;
  • Prolonged reading causes headaches and uncomfortable feeling in the eyes;
  • In low light the symptoms are accentuated;
  • Other symptoms may include blurred vision, double vision and halos around lights.

The cornea and lens work together to focus the images on the retina. The lens can change its own shape in order to focus according to the distance. This is achieved with the help of the ciliary muscle, a circular muscle at the base of the iris, which, through micro-fibrillations attached to the lens, causes it to change shape. The muscle relaxes when we see at a distance and contracts when we focus closer, making the lens more convex.

Over time the lens loses its suppleness, which prevents the focus previously achieved. This is a slow and progressive process, so the loss of focus noticed is also gradual.

Age is therefore the biggest risk factor. A hyperopia and certain diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis, increase the risk of presbyopia as do some drugs, particularly antidepressants.

The diagnosis is made through a vision test. In this test, the doctor will evaluate the existence of hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism or presbyopia. Any of these refractive defects may be associated with presbyopia and must be corrected together.

As the vision test includes an evaluation of eye health, it is important to consult an ophthalmologist, especially if you have not previously had any symptoms of poor vision, as it is then possible to screen for other pathologies, more frequent with age.

Treatment may include spectacles, contact lenses, refractive surgery or intraocular lens implantation.

Spectacles are the simplest way of solving the problem, especially if there are no other refractive defects. If there are, the glasses must contain both distance and near refraction, which will require the use of bifocals or multifocals (progressive).

Contact lenses, if there are no contraindications to their use, are another solution. In myopia patients, who are generally more accustomed to using them, monovision is often used. In this case the patient wears a lens for distance in the dominant eye and another for near in the other eye. There are also multifocal contact lenses. Not all patients adapt to these because of the accessory images they cause with the lights at night and the frequent feeling of blurred vision.

Laser refractive surgery, LASIK, LASEK or PRKLASIK , LASEK or PRK, also has the possibility of achieving near vision correction. This is also a monovision technique. With correction of presbyopia in the non-dominant eye and distance correction only in the dominant eye. It is effective, above all, for myopiaIt is effective, especially in myopia, in resolving the difficulty. However, since presbyopia is progressive, it will be necessary to repeat the procedure on the non-dominant eye some years later.

Intraocular lens implantation surgery is very effective and definitive. It involves the removal of the clear crystalline lens with the implantation of a multifocal, bilateral lens. presbyopia (there is no longer a crystalline lens so that the presbyopia At the same time, the patient is able to correct other refractive defects, such as astigmatism, hypermetropia or myopia. The intraocular lens is calculated to correct all existing defects through biometry. Using both eyes for distance and near also improves the quality of vision.

In low light conditions it is sometimes difficult to read and in some cases the occasional use of simple, low prescription glasses is still necessary. It is also necessary to consider, in some cases, the possibility of glare at night and of seeing halos in the lights. Apart from these symptoms, the surgical risk must also be taken into account.

  • Making an appointment

    Choose the specialty or doctor and make your appointment online.
    Mark
  • Contact

    Have questions about how we can help? Please contact us.

  • Schedule

    • Monday to Friday
      09h00 - 20h
    • National holidays
      Closed
  • CPO App

    If you are already a CPO client, download our app to make appointments.
    Android iOS