Presbyopia: Ageing eyes

Presbyopia is a natural part of the eye’s ageing process.

While many people live much of their lives without having to worry about refractive errors like myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, most of us will eventually begin to notice the effects of presbyopia – also known as ‘ageing eye’.

For many, this will start to become noticeable in their 40s, while some lucky ones might hold it off until their mid-50s.

Presbyopia is essentially the result of the natural deterioration of the eyes. As we age, the lens gradually loses its ability to change shape and shift the eye’s focus from near to distance.

Effectively, the zoom system in the eye becomes weaker.

As a result, you may find it more difficult to read small print (such as receipts, menus, and books) and perform close-up tasks. Furthermore, if you have an existing refractive error, you may find that you require different lenses for focusing on close and distant objects.

Traditionally, reading glasses or glasses with bifocal or varifocal lenses have been used to correct presbyopia. In some cases, Clear Lens Exchange procedures (replacing the lens inside the eye with an artificial one can also help. However, there is a new way to reverse the effects of ageing on your eyes.

London Vision Clinic has been using PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision to correct the symptoms of presbyopia since 2004; this is a much safer and less invasive procedure than Clear Lens Exchange, as it does not require the surgeon to go inside the eye to remove the lens.