Presbyopia (senile hyperopia)
Summary/Definition
Presbyopia is an eye condition caused by the aging of the lens and characterized by a deterioration in the ability to see at close range due to a decrease in its elasticity. This condition is not a disease, but rather a natural process that is irreversible. With age, the maximum ability of the eyes to accommodate decreases, which leads to presbyopia, in which distant objects are still visible, but close objects become less distinguishable.
Symptoms
When focusing on distant and close objects, the rate of change in the focus of the lens decreases, which leads to blurring of close objects. At a normal reading distance, text or small objects become less distinguishable, and when reading in dark conditions, the eyes quickly get tired and headaches occur.
Diagnostics
Presbyopia can be detected using the following methods: during a medical examination, the deterioration of vision at a close distance is checked, ametropia is corrected using refraction, and distant and close vision is measured. The diagnosis of presbyopia is confirmed when near vision is relatively worse than far vision, and when the degree of visual impairment decreases when viewing a table to check visual acuity at close range with the addition of a convex lens after refraction correction.
Treatment and course of the disease
It is important to undergo a thorough examination of vision and choose the appropriate method of correction. If you have difficulty working with close objects, then you can use magnifying glasses or resort to using bifocal or multifocal lenses to correct your vision and see both close and distant objects. In addition, it is useful to improve lifestyle habits, for example, to provide bright lighting when reading or to choose books with a large font.
In addition, surgical treatment may be considered. There are various surgical methods, for example, operations on the cornea using an excimer or high-frequency laser, operations with the installation of lens inserts on the cornea, or methods involving the installation of a multifocal intraocular lens simultaneously with cataract surgery.
