Presbyopia

When arms become too short for reading

In infancy and childhood the natural lens of the eye is soft and pliable and is easily altered in shape by the ciliary muscles of the eye through a process called accommodation. Throughout life the lens of the eye gradually hardens, becomes less pliable, and progressively increases its resistance to change in shape. The lens also grows throughout life and has less room to move in the eye. This leads to greater difficulty in focusing at near and, by the age of about 45 years, most people require reading correction, assuming their vision is corrected for distance. Presbyopia is generally defined functionally - e.g. when a person can no longer read a newspaper at arm's length, and begins to use reading glasses or bifocals, they are considered to be presbyopic.

Symptoms of Presbyopia
Most patients with presbyopia first notice difficulties while attempting to perform near distance tasks, such as reading. There may be blurring of near objects, or discomfort and fatigue with attempted near vision tasks. Some presbyopic individuals complain that their vision remains blurred for a few moments (or even minutes) after looking up from sustained near vision tasks. This is due to the lag of relaxation of accommodation after excessive near focusing in the presbyopic age group. Many patients complain that their "arms are too short", a statement that indicates accommodative powers are declining.

Visit the Presbyopia section of the Eye Surgery Education Council web site for additional information and informative videos.