Monnett Eye & Optical Center

Presbyopia


Presbyopia is a condition in which the lens of the eye loses its ability to focus, making it difficult to see objects up close. The condition is associated with aging and gets worse over time. The focusing power of the eye depends on the elasticity of the lens. This elasticity is gradually lost as people age. The result is a slow decrease in the ability of the eye to focus on nearby objects.



Diagnosing presbyopia:
The staff at Monnett Eye Center will gladly perform a general eye examination, including measurements to determine a prescription for glasses or contact lenses.

Presbyopia causes lenses to lose some elasticity
 Tests may include:
  • Examination of the retina
  • Muscle integrity test
  • Refraction test
  • Slit-lamp test
  • Visual acuity



Symptoms of presbyopia:
  • Decreased focusing ability for near objects
  • Eyestrain
  • Headache

Causes of presbyopia:

Presbyopia is caused by an age-related process. This differs from astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness, which are related to the shape of the eyeball and are caused by genetic and environmental factors. Presbyopia is usually believed to stem from a gradual thickening and loss of flexibility of the natural lens inside your eye.

Treatment of presbyopia:
Reading glasses and contact lenses are used by many for the temporary treatment of presbyopia. However, there are a number of vision correction procedures that can surgically reduce or eliminate the effects of presbyopia, and recently there has been a revolutionary FDA approved procedure developed for treating presbyopia, that far surpasses all other available treatments for presbyopia. This ground-breaking procedure is known as the Crystalens ACCOMMODATIVE IOL or the Acrysof ReSTOR IOL and can incredibly correct both eyes for both distance and near/intermediate vision at the same time!!! Yes, that means no glasses for neither distance nor near/intermediate vision!

And there's more--Premium Intaocular Lens implants such as Crystalens and Acrysof ReSTOR Lenses are here! Now you can read again without glasses!

Other less advanced and less natural techniques for treating presbyopia include monovision, which allows patients to see distance clearly in one eye and close-up clearly with the other eye. Presbyopia can be present in combination with other types of refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightednes and astigmatism... but when treated with the Crystalens ACCOMMODATIVE IOL or the Acrysof ReSTOR IOL, all of these refractive error can be resolved at the same time.

Other types of refractive errors include: Nearsightedness, Farsightedness and Astigmatism.