Contact Lenses as Treatment for Presbyopia

Presbyopia, unlike many other conditions requiring contact lenses, is not related to anything other than the good old aging process. Astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness are caused by irregularities in the eye itself; whereas this condition isn't due to eye irregularity. It is believed that most people as they get older will experience this eye condition that affects near eye vision. Have you noticed that you hold the menu at arm's length in order to focus on the print? You may be experiencing the effects of Presbyopia.

As we age, the eye is affected and loses some of its flexibility through thickening. A natural process, there doesn't appear to be a way to avoid being affected by the condition at some point in your life. Age-related changes take place in the muscle fibers surrounding the lens and within the proteins in the lens itself.

The loss of elasticity makes it harder for your eyes to focus up close.

There are two forms of treatment available for Presbyopia. One is to manage the condition through corrective lenses such as eyeglasses or contact lenses. The other form of treatment is surgery.

The first form of treatment is the least invasive and comes in the form of reading glasses. Since this condition usually presents itself when you are reading or working on close tasks such as sewing, reading glasses can provide the right amount of magnification. People who wear contact lenses already may find that Presbyopia forces them to also wear reading glasses in addition to the contact lenses they wear all day.

The most common correction for Presbyopia seems to be prescription bifocal or progressive addition lenses (PALs). Bifocal means two points of focus.

In bifocal lenses, the upper portion of the spectacle lens contains a prescription for distance vision, while the lower portion of the lens contains a stronger prescription for close work or reading. Progressive addition lenses differ from bifocal lenses in that they offer a more gradual visual transition between the two prescriptions, with no visible line between them.

There are contact lenses that can be used for effective treatment of this eye condition. Multifocal contact lenses are often used, as is monovision. Multifocal contact lenses are soft lenses that are gas permeable, so oxygen can flow easily through the lens and to the eye itself. Monovision works to train the brain to favor one eye for different tasks. For instance, one eye will wear a distance prescription and the other will wear a prescription for near vision. Some people love the results that come from monovision contact lenses; whereas others report a loss of some degree of depth perception.

For some people, corrective lenses are not an option due to the severity of their condition. In such cases, the best form of treatment may be surgery. NearVision CK is one surgical treatment that is often used. This procedure uses radio waves to create more curvature in the cornea for a higher "plus" prescription to improve near vision. The procedure can also be performed on one eye only for a monovision correction.

For those who find they need a little help as they get older, there are plenty of treatment options for this "age old" eye condition.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here