Presbyopia Treatment in Chicago, IL

What Is Presbyopia

Presbyopia is an eye condition in which reading vision and/or close vision tasks become difficult to do. Often referred to as age-related farsightedness, presbyopia is a very common eye condition in people over the age of 40, but is not limited to this age group.

The decrease in near vision caused by presbyopia is the result of the crystalline lens, inside of the eye, becoming more rigid and less flexible as we age, resulting in difficulty focusing on near tasks like reading. To avoid the inevitable eye strain caused by presbyopia, individuals often have to hold items and reading materials farther away from them to see or read clearly.

Presbyopia Symptoms and Signs

Due to the inability to focus on near tasks,  people with this aging eye condition  can experience several of the following symptoms in addition to the obvious reading problems:

• Ocular strain
• Headaches, often severe
• Fatigue
• Blurred distance vision after prolonged reading
• Need to have increased lighting to read small fonts
• Need to hold objects further away to see them
• Need to wear reading glasses or add a bifocal to distance glasses

Age-Related Presbyopia Correction Options

After a presbyopia diagnosis, the questions that often arise are: What are the treatments for presbyopia? Is surgical correction of presbyopia for me?  And are there presbyopia therapies?

LASIK

The aggravation of having to rely on reading glasses, or bifocals to see up close may lead you to ask, “can I have laser eye surgery for presbyopia?” The simple answer is, maybe. If you are only presbyopic, then lasik may not be an option for you. However, in many cases a patient may be a candidate for monovision. With LASIK for presbyopia, you would treat only one eye, leaving one eye capable of seeing far and one near. Not everyone is a candidate for monovision LASIK and it's best to come in for a consultation to determine if this is an option for you.

PRK

As with LASIK, PRK may also be an option to treat presbyopia. Much like the LASIK procedure, the success of PRK to treat presbyopia will depend greatly on the patient's overall corrective error, or prescription. PRK for presbyopia may be a great option to help lessen one's dependency on corrective lenses. Scheduling a consultation with your doctor would determine if this is an appropriate option for you.

Non-Surgical Presbyopia Treatment

There are non-surgical treatments for presbyopia as well. One option would be reading glasses, often called “cheaters”. This option is for people who only need help seeing up close. Reading glasses are a fun and inexpensive way to improve your near vision without surgery. For individuals that wear glasses or contacts to improve their overall vision, a bifocal or progressive lens option would be for them. Progressive lenses in glasses or contacts would allow you to have both distance and near vision in the same pair of glasses or contacts. Your doctor will discuss which option is best for you based on the type of prescription you need and your lifestyle and activity level.

Fight Age-Related Vision Loss with Kraff Eye Institute

The first step in your quest to eliminate your presbyopia is to come in for  a complimentary consultation with Dr. Kraff. During this visit, several measurements will be taken, along with a comprehensive discussion on what your goals are. After a review of all this information, Dr. Kraff will determine the most safe option for you. Dr. Kraff will recommend the option that will achieve the patient's desired outcome.

Presbyopia Causes

Presbyopia results from the natural age-related loss of near vision. People who are in their 40s and 50s start to notice their near vision decrease and become blurry. When someone holds an object or item close to them, the muscles that hold our natural lens in place will adjust to bring that image into focus. As we age, those muscles lose their flexibility and become more rigid. This results in the inability to see objects at a close range. To accommodate for this, we have to hold objects farther away, or start using corrective lenses. At some point, everyone will develop presbyopia, even those who have historically had very good vision. If you live long enough, you will eventually need help to see things up close.

How We Test for Presbyopia

The simplest way to diagnose if you indeed have presbyopia is to schedule a comprehensive eye exam with your doctor. During that visit you will be given several different eye tests, including using a reading card. The patient will read a card of various letter sizes, held at different distances. The doctor will test different lenses in front of your eye to determine what correction is needed to achieve crisp, clear vision.

Who Is a Candidate for Presbyopia Eye Surgery?

To determine if you are a candidate for surgery to correct your presbyopia, and to be less reliant on glass or contacts, the best advice is to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation consultation with Dr. Kraff at the Kraff Eye Institute.   With extensive experience in treating all forms of refractive error, you will without a doubt, leave knowing the best option for you.