What is presbyopia?

Presbyopia is a natural occurrence that develops as you age. You gradually find it hard to focus on objects close to you, making tasks like reading small print, using a mobile phone, or working on the computer difficult. It is not a disease or illness; it usually affects everyone during the natural ageing process, and we resort to wearing glasses to improve our vision for these up-close tasks.

As the eye gets older, gradual changes to the natural crystalline lens inside the eye means that it loses some of its flexibility and therefore the muscles that control the lens shape are working extremely hard. At a certain age, this will mean that to help the eye focus on near objects, additional power is required.

Vision with healthy eyes

How is presbyopia treated?

Presbyopia can be treated in several ways including reading glasses, contact lenses, LASIK eye surgery and refractive eye surgery using an intraocular lens (IOL).

There have been many advancements in refractive surgery options in recent years, meaning that you may not have to rely on reading glasses.

Find out more about options that may help to reduce the symptoms of presbyopia.