Presbyopia is a natural, age-related condition that affects the eye's ability to focus on close objects. It typically begins around the age of 40, but with the rise of digital technology, it's starting to affect people at younger ages.
During childhood, the teenage years, and into our 20s and early 30s, the lens of the eye is flexible and can adjust its shape to focus on objects at different distances. This process is known as accommodation. As people age, presbyopia develops due to the gradual weakening of the ciliary muscles and the eye’s lens becoming less flexible. This affects your ability to focus on close-up tasks, such as reading, threading a needle, or looking at your phone, and you might start holding reading materials farther away to see them clearly.
Patients often experience eye fatigue, strain, and headaches from prolonged near tasks. These symptoms usually develop gradually, leading individuals to believe they are simply tired or dealing with temporary issues. However, as you age, the crystalline lens continues to lose flexibility, and the degree of presbyopia increases.
Fortunately, presbyopia can be easily managed with prescription eyewear, such as reading glasses, office lenses, or progressive lenses. Wearing glasses does not make your presbyopia worse, they are an optical aid to help you see clearer at near. Presbyopia is a natural and unavoidable part of aging that leads to a gradual increase in power over time.
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