What is presbyopia and how do you correct it?
Dr. Krishma Zaver
In the early to mid-forties, patients typically begin to notice difficulty with near vision as they develop a condition known as presbyopia. This problem can interfere with viewing a computer screen, a smart phone or when reading a book or magazine.
These changes in near vision are a normal part of aging and result from the stiffening of the lens in the eye, reducing the eye’s ability to adjust its focus adequately to provide the clear near vision that it used to be able provide.
Although this change is normal, it can be frustrating as the need for readers becomes more and more needed for these near vision tasks.
There are many ways glasses and contact lenses can improve near vision in patients with presbyopia:
- bifocal lenses
- progressive lenses
- monovision contact lenses
- multifocal contact lenses
Surgical options are also available for presbyopes!
Monovision LASIK
Monovision LASIKMonovision LASIK can be performed by correcting the dominant eye for distance and the nondominant eye for near. Eye dominance is routinely assessed as part of a LASIK consultation. Monovision can minimize the need for readers as well as for distance correction in prescription glasses.
[To learn more about monovision, visit our page here.]
However, patients participating in activities that require excellent depth perception, such as golf and tennis, often are not candidates for monovision LASIK.
Clear Lens Exchange
Clear lens exchange, also known as early cataract surgery, can provide a patient with the largest range of vision including distance, intermediate/computer distance, and near vision in both eyes with the use of an intraocular multifocal lens.
There are many benefits of clear lens exchange, one being that once the surgery is performed you will never be at risk of developing cataracts in the future. Since both eyes are able to see at a distance, intermediate and near, there should be no decrease in depth perception, making this a viable option for active patients.