General EYE ADVICE

Presbyopia

The most common newly encountered eye problem in the middle age group is presbyopia, or old-sightedness. In this condition the eyes progressively lose their ability to change their focus from one distance to another. The usual case is where a normal-sighted person who was always able to see distance and near clearly, begins to find it difficult to change focus in order to see at closer distances. This often necessitates holding reading or other material at a greater distance in order to see clearly.

Presbyopia appears to affect all middle-aged individuals in a fairly predictable manner. Some people, such as those living in hotter climates (e.g. India), can be affected by presbyopia at an earlier age than usual. Others, who appear to consistently practice focussing at closer distances, are often found to have above-average focussing ability for their age. The cause of the decline in focusing ability is the decrease in elasticity of the tissues within the eye that are responsible for facilitating the focusing process. The neuro-muscular control of the eye appears to be as strong as ever, however, it is the elastic tissues in the eye which limit the focusing function.

It appears that age is the principal determinant in presbyopia. Some factors, such as movement of the relevant ocular tissues by consistent focussing changes, either in the process of daily activities or even by performing prescribed focussing exercises, can possibly help to maintain the flexibility of the ocular tissues concerned. Other factors such as high sun exposure or possibly poor diet can hasten the stiffening of the ocular tissues involved in focussing, and thus bring on the symptoms of presbyopia at a younger age.

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