OR presbyopia It is the loss of eye ability to focus on nearby objects with age. Is not a conditionbut part of the normal aging of the body. However, there are some factors that can expedite it.
It is estimated that more than 2.1 billion people worldwide (about 25% of the world population) have presbyopia. The vast majority of them have age over 45 years of ageas almost everyone (over 90%) those who reach this age will sooner or later express it.
However, this is true since they have no other refractive vision abnormality, says Dr. Anastasios-i. Kanellopoulos, MD, Ophthalmologist Surgeon, Founder and Scientific Director of the Laservision Institute of Ophthalmology, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of New York.
“To any of us who has no myopia or hypermetropia, the age of onset of presbyopia usually varies between 47 and 50 years, and continues to worsen until the age of about 65. However, if the patient has little hypermetropia, he may start not to see clearly close to a younger age. However does not mean he has early presbyopia. On the contrary, he does not see clearly because of his slight hypermetropia. When e.g. We see a 42 -year -old person with a problem with close vision, we know that he has slight hypermetropia, ”he explains.
Correspondingly, those who have very little myopic astigmatism or very little myopia for which they do not need corrective glasses may need presbyopian glasses 5 or 10 years later than average.
Presbyopia is manifested as The lens of the eye gradually loses its elasticityresulting in a reduction in the ability to focus on nearby objects. The decrease in elasticity begins early in life (even from 35 years) but its effects usually begin to be perceived after 45, as mentioned above.
As a result, the person needs more light when reading, seeing blurry in the usual reading distance and/or need to keep everything he reads from his body. Those who work with digital screens may also have frequent headaches and eye fatigue.
These symptoms may worsen when they are tired or when they are in a semi -seal.
“However Age is not the only factor responsible for presbyopia. There are some that can lead to its premature launch, even under the age of 40. These include taking certain drugs (such as antihistamines, antidepressants, diuretics) and certain diseases such as diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis (multiple sclerosis) and cardiovascular disease.
There are also suspicions that the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun plays a role in its development. These stem from the observation that its average starting age varies from country to country, depending on the latitude. In India e.g. which has a latitude of 10-30 degrees is 37 years, while in England with a latitude of 51-54 degrees it is 43 years.
Some studies have also shown that the use of glasses that absorb UV throughout life could probably delay its appearance a little.
In any case, a thorough evaluation by the ophthalmologist is required to determine that the difficulties in close vision are due, “Mr. Kanellopoulos said. In the context of the examination, the ophthalmologist will study the entire visual system to make sure it is healthy, as well as the infrastructure of possible other refractive error (if there is a small myopia, little astigmatism, small hypermetropia).
When the presbyopia is confirmed, the use of presbyopian glasses is the first choice to deal with it. “When it is deemed necessary, we begin with the lowest possible help that will give the person satisfactory relief. The “trap” with presbyopian glasses is how the “louder” glasses he wears, the better he thinks he sees because they magnify what is close to him. But this is tiring for the eyes, and they are becoming more and more necessary for the person, ”the professor explains.
In practice this means that there is a methodology in the introduction of presbyopian glasses into the daily lives of the patients.
Especially for light -mounted hypermeteria, when they usually spend 50 years and if presbyopian glasses are needed, the choice is raised if they want to wear contact lenses or have a laser surgery that will correct its hypertrophy and “turn”.
“With laser surgery they will win 10 years of better vision and significantly improved close vision,” he says.
It is worth noting, however, that “because the close vision for many of us is something we use vigorously and persistently for many hours, the first symptoms of presbyopia can improve only if we remove the digital screens we use a little bit.”
This removal will rest our eyes, ‘If we have the right ergonomic attitude in the office and the computer we use, if we hydrate our eyes at regular intervals and if we do every hour Necessary break for 3-4 minuteslooking at something that is too far away to rest the mechanism of adapting the eyes, “he concludes.