If you have found that it has gotten more and more difficult to see as you’ve grown older, you’re not alone. This happens to nearly all of us as we age. In fact, it is so common that there’s a name for this condition- Presbyopia.
Just because it happens to many of us doesn’t mean you’re stuck living this way. Presbyopia can be corrected by the friendly, experienced team at Eye Care Professionals of Reno. Let’s discuss a little more about this condition, including how it can be corrected.
Table of Contents
- What is Presbyopia?
- What Causes Presbyopia?
- The Symptoms of Presbyopia
- Correcting Presbyopia
- LASIK Surgery at Eye Care Professionals of Reno
What is Presbyopia?
By simple definition, Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in your early to mid 40s and continues to worsen until around age 65. It’s natural, yet often very annoying. In fact, the term “presbyopia” comes from a Greek word which means “old eye.”
What Causes Presbyopia?
In order to understand why this condition happens, it’s helpful to learn a little more about the anatomy of your eye. Your clear lens sits inside the eye behind your colored iris. It changes shape to focus light onto the retina so you can see.
In the eye of a young person, the lens is soft and flexible. It easily changes shape and allows them to focus on objects that are both close-up and far away. After the age 40 though, the lens becomes more rigid. A rigid lens cannot change shape as easily. This makes nearby objects look blurry. This makes it harder to read a menu, type a text message, or do other close-up tasks.
The Symptoms of Presbyopia
Simply not being able to see well isn’t necessarily Presbyopia. The symptoms of Presbyopia include:
- Trouble seeing things up close
- Reading thing easier when they’re further away
- Needing to hold reading materials farther away to focus on them
- Eye strain
- Headaches
While Presbyopia gets worse over time from the age of 40 to 65, it usually stops getting worse after age 65. This means senior citizens over the age of 65 can confidently correct the issue without fear of it getting worse again.
Correcting Presbyopia
There is no way to stop or reverse the normal aging process that causes Presbyopia. This is why just about all elderly people wear glasses, whether or not they did as a young person. There is good news though. Presbyopia can be corrected with intraocular lens (IOL), the RayOne EMV.
Dr. Matthew Mills, M.D. was the first surgeon in northern Nevada to surgically implant this new type of (IOL). The lens features spherical aberration to provide improved vision for both distance and intermediate ranges, decreasing a patient’s need for glasses.
Presbyopia is a natural part of aging, but with the technology of the RayOne EMV, we are able to correct a patient’s vision so they are able to see well both near and far, and also peripherally. This lens is special in that it is designed to give patients excellent vision at distance and intermediate ranges without the adverse visual phenomena associated with many other Presbyopia Correcting IOLs.
Advanced Eye Surgery at Eye Care Professionals of Reno
A basic eye exam can confirm Presbyopia. Once you have your diagnosis, we can discuss your next steps. It may be IOL or another recommended eye surgery.
Your eye doctor will talk with you about what surgical options will work for you. We are Reno and Northern Nevada’s premier eye care providers. This is because our team is leaders in experienced, state-of-the-art medical and surgical care for the eyes. Book your appointment to learn more.
