Am I losing my 20/20 vision?

Having perfect eyesight can often be taken for granted, especially if you have only recently began notices in your vision clarity.

Usually, after the age of 40 a condition known as presbyopia can develop which causes near vision to be affected.

The telltale sign that you may be suffering from presbyopia is if you find yourself holding newspapers, menus or your phone at arm’s length in order to decipher the small print.

This is because in younger eyes, the lens is soft and flexible; readily changing shape to accommodate for your vision needs, but over time the lens hardens and loses its natural elasticity.

Will my near vision continue to deteriorate?

Your eyes rely on the cornea and lens to bend (refract) light that enters the eye, so that images are focused accurately on the retina.

The cornea is responsible for approximately two thirds of your visual acuity, with the lens making up the remaining one third of refractive power.

The lens constantly changes shape to accommodate vision at different distance, with near vision requiring a greater amount of focusing power.

With presbyopia, the lens can no longer accommodate for objects up close which is why images will appear blurred unless they are held at a greater distance from the eyes.

Presbyopia will continue to affect the lens until the condition stabilizes, usually around the age of 65.

Options for new presbyopic patients

Glasses can be prescribed to presbyopic patients by any optician, but reading glasses can be considered a classic sign of old age and not suit everyone.

Surgical procedures to correct presbyopia have become more popular in recent years, thanks to advances in technology and the development of a minimally invasive procedure.

At Optilase Northern Ireland, thousands of presbyopic patients have opted to have the either the KAMRA Reading Vision Treatment.

This treatment places a tiny doughnut-shaped implant in the cornea of your less dominant eye to create a pinhole effect so that the eye can see near and intermediate objects clearly without compromising on your distance vision.

For more information on Presbyopia and the KAMRA inlay, schedule your free consultation on 08000 121 565.