Dr Moïse Tourabaly · Near vision

Presbyopia: why near vision declines with age

A person holds a text to read, at a distance that recedes with age. On the left, a face in profile looks at a text held at arm’s length. At 40 the text is read comfortably at about 25 centimetres, at 50 at about 50 centimetres, at 60 it is out of arm’s reach. Without correction, text up close looks blurred. With a presbyopia correction, text up close becomes sharp again. ≈ 25 cm · comfortable reading ≈ 50 cm · the arm stretches out out of arm’s reach blurred near vision sharp reading up close

With age, the lens loses its flexibility: the eye focuses less well up close. The comfortable reading distance recedes, then the text becomes hard to read without help.

With correction: near vision becomes sharp again. Several solutions exist depending on the case: glasses, PresbyLASIK, multifocal implants. The indication depends on the assessment.

Indicative diagram. Presbyopia progresses; the solution is chosen with the surgeon according to the eye and the way of life. Results vary from one patient to another.