Presbyopia

What is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is an age-related nearsightedness problem in people over the age of 40. The lens inside our eyes has a structure that can change shape. Thanks to its special ability, this lens can swell and change its shape when objects come close and increase the quality of vision. Seeing near is this way. The human eye begins to lose this ability gradually after the age of 40.

Why Presbyopia Occurs?

When a distant object comes close, the stimulus reaching the brain is evaluated and transmitted to the eye. Here, in the region of the eye called "ciliary body", the fibers connected to it stretch or relax as the muscles contract and relax. This movement of the fibers causes the lens to become thinner or thicker, increasing its refraction. The eye loses this ability due to age. Although it has not been proven definitively, the closest theory regarding the loss of this ability due to age is the theory of cell aging. This theory states that our eye cells lose this ability, as our hair turns gray due to aging. Therefore, the problem is considered as a physiological aging, not a pathological problem. Presbyopia is increasing in every person over the years in an extremely standard way. After the age of 40, it grows at the number +1 every 10 years. At the age of 50, +2, and at the age of 60, the number +3 has grown. But there is an interesting situation here. For example, if our eye is -2, then +1 is added to it at the age of 40. In this case, you need the number -1 to see near. When you reach the age of 50, the number -2 is needed for the distance, but there is no need for near glasses. For this reason, I was short-sighted and said, "I see the near very well." The reason why the patients, who say, see well near, is that the two disorders overlap and create a defect-reducing effect.

What Are the Symptoms of Presbyopia?

Presbyopia patients have difficulty in seeing objects when they bring objects closer than 50 cm. Therefore, they can see objects away from their eyes.

How is Presbyopia Treated?

Intraocular trifocal lens operations and presbylasic laser treatments are the leading methods used all over the world for presbyopia treatment.