For Patients: Presbyopia I: Introduction

Remember that moment you first couldn’t see something close up?

It probably happened suddenly. Maybe you were reading a map in a car at night, or trying to read a text in dim light. Suddenly, it was there. And since that day, your near vision has never been the same. Focusing seems to occur more slowly. You are aware of eye strain. You keep readers around the house or use bifocals.

Presbyopia- the loss of accommodation (refocusing) to near vision that occurs as we get older- does not strike suddenly, no matter what our impressions might be. Loss of accommodation is an extremely slow process that begins early in childhood, but only becomes noticeable when we are in our 40’s or beyond. Believe it or not, a 20 year old cannot accommodate as well as a 10 year old can!