Getting ready for impaired vision at 40

 As you grow older, you are burdened with many worries. Health is one concern. Your fading youth may turn your smile upside down. the appearance of wrinkles in your skin and reduced agility would be your least worries. You will have bigger problems when your eyes slowly lose the ability to see at short distance. This is known as presbyopia, which strikes when people reach their forties. Dr. M. Wijetunge, Retired Consultant Eye Surgeon of the Ragama Teaching Hospital, helps us understand presbyopia.   

Presbyopia is a condition that occurs with the ageing. Simply put, presbyopia causes a person to lose the ability to see objects at a short distance. They will only be able to see the object clearly at a further distance. The lenses of the eyes become unable to direct light rays onto the retina from objects located at shorter distances from the eye.   

According to Dr. Wijetunge, when babies are first born and even during 3- 4 months after birth, they are able to see objects placed very close to the eyes. The reason for this is that eyes of babies have a very high focusing power. “But as a person gets older, the thickness of the lens as well as the curvature of the lens increases. This ultimately reduces the ability to view objects at short distances,” he explained. When the lens thickens and tightens with age, the flexibility of the lens is lost. So the lens becomes unable to focus light rays properly. The ciliary body is a set of muscles that changes the shape of the lens enabling it to direct light rays onto the retina. This is how we are able to see. He stated that with age, the ciliary body loses its ability to change shape of the lens to focus light rays onto the retina from objects located at short distances. This too leads to the inability in viewing short distances clearly.   

Headaches, laziness to read as well as feeling sleepy when reading are common indications 
of presbyopia

Let’s consider reading a book. When we read a book, we normally place it at a certain distance away from our eyes. But as we get older the distance at which we place the book increases. The eye becomes unable to read a book from a closer distance as the lens cannot focus on light rays. But when the book is held further we are able to read it. This is because there is no need for the eye lens to focus the light rays when a book is read from a distance.   

Presbyopia and occupation 

“This condition normally affects a person around age 40 and upwards. Presbyopia is a condition that occurs due to age. Since every single person grows older, everybody will suffer from presbyopia. Some people just don’t realize that they are suffering from presbyopia as they may not be engaged in activities or occupations that require short distance vision,” Dr. Wijetunge mentioned.   

 If you are engaged in an occupation that requires short distance viewing, you may realize that you have presbyopia when you reach your forties. But a person in his forties whose occupation doesn’t involve activities that require short distance vision, will not realize that he suffers from presbyopia. “For example, if you are engaged in a job like sewing clothes, then you might notice that your ability to thread a needle becomes weaker after the age of forty. So you will notice the symptoms of presbyopia and consult a doctor. But if you are in a job that doesn’t require short distance vision, you won’t actually feel the inability to view short distances so you may not face the symptoms. But that does not mean that you don’t suffer from presbyopia. You do. But you don’t suffer the symptoms as you aren’t engaged in activities that require you to see short distances,” he stressed.   

Keep your eyes peeled for symptoms   

Symptoms may vary from person to person depending on their occupation and daily activities. But there are common symptoms. The most obvious symptom is the inability to see clearly objects at a short distance unless they are held at a further distance. “Headaches, laziness to read as well as feeling sleepy when reading are common indications of presbyopia,” explained Dr. Wijetunge.   

The diagnosis of presbyopia is very easy. It is easily determined by the symptoms and age. Sometimes people below age 40 can experience similar symptoms. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is suffering from presbyopia. (Presbyopia before the age of 40 isn’t common, but is possible) “Sometimes these symptoms can be experienced due to increased eye pressure in the eye or even glaucoma. An eye examination will be conducted to diagnose the condition. But if you are in your forties and suffer from the previously mentioned symptoms, it is quite likely that you suffer from presbyopia,” said the eye surgeon.   

A transparent remedy   

The only remedy is to wear spectacles. These glasses will usually consist of bifocal lenses. They should be worn during activities where short distance vision is necessary. For example, reading a book. But these glasses don’t have to be worn all the time. With increased age, the presbyopia condition will worsen. Therefore the power of the lens used in the glasses prescribed will also increase.   

Presbyopia is a condition that you will have to cope with by using glasses. But Dr. Wijetunge mentioned that there are instances when the condition reverts back enabling short distance vision again. This is due to the increase in the thickening of the eye lens. The refractive index may increase due to this. Thereby the focusing power of the eye will be increased and the ability to view short distances will be restored. He confirmed that presbyopia doesn’t lead to blindness or any complications of the eye.   

 

This condition normally affects a person around age 40 and upwards. Presbyopia is a condition that occurs due to age. Since every single person grows older, everybody will suffer from presbyopia