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Refractive Errors...

What is Presbyopia?
Normal healthy young eyes have a wide range of focus from far distance to a few centimetres. In a young eye, the lens is very flexible. As we get older, the lens of the eye thickens and slowly loses its flexibility leading to a gradual decline in our ability to focus on objects that are close up. This loss of focusing ability is called PRESBYOPIA. It is not a disease but a normal and expected change which sooner or later affects everyone, whether they already wear contact lenses and spectacles or not. It does not occur suddenly. Around the age of 40-45 we begin to realise that we are holding the newspaper further away or we need more light to read the telephone directory.

What should a person do?
Pay a visit to an optometrist. An eye examination, which takes between 20 and 30 minutes, should be part of a normal health care routine. Not only will the practitioner measure the focusing defects of people's eyes but will also check closely for any early signs of eye disease or other medical condition. As of 1^st April 1999 all eye examinations for patients aged 60 and over are free of charge.

How is Presbyopia corrected?
The practitioner will advise on the wide range of options available to restore good vision. It is important that any hobbies or special tasks at work are mentioned. There is no advantage in delaying using reading spectacles they will not make eyes lazy.

Reading glasses
The simplest form of lens - for correcting near vision - is worn for reading, sewing etc, but will probably make distance vision blurred. This means that someone may have a pair of spectacles simply for reading but cannot use them to drive or watch TV. It will probably be necessary to keep removing them when speaking to colleagues at work, for example. However, there are several alternatives that solve this problem.

Anti-reflection lenses
Lens reflections can be a problem for spectacle wearers. There are four different types of reflection:

All these reflections can reduce the amount of light reaching the eye by as much as 15%, which means both vision quality and contrast are impaired. There is a solution. By treating the lens with a special coating, reflections can be limited to less than 1% and the problems almost eliminated. Anti-reflection lenses give such a dramatic reduction of reflections, the benefits are significant. 

In short, everyone who wears spectacles will enjoy the overall improved visual comfort provided by anti-reflection coatings.

Contact lenses
For contact lens wearers, there are various ways a practitioner can help when near focus begins to blur. There are bifocal or multifocal contact lenses, or it is possible to wear glasses over contact lenses for reading.

When to visit a practitioner again
Between the ages of 40 and 65 your prescription is likely to change significantly. It is essential for this age group to have their eyes examined every two years, not only to review their prescription, but also to ensure their eyes are healthy. Remember, the optometrist (or OMP) may also see general health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes which, if caught early enough, can be effectively managed by a doctor.