Presbyopia

Presbyopia is not a refractive error in a stricter sense but rather a result of the eye’s natural aging process. The condition occurs more frequently with people aged over 45. All of a sudden, one has to hold books, journals and labels further and further away in order to be able to read them. If the refractive power of the lens decreases, the near point (the closest point to the eye at which an object can be perceived clearly) moves further away from the eye. While a 10-year-old has a clear image of letters located around 7 cm in front of their eyes, the near point of a 40-year-old lies at 25 cm. For long-sighted people, the refractive power of their eye is too low compared to the length of the eyeball..

How presbyopia becomes noticeable

Presbyopia becomes usually noticeable if the minimum visual range is more than 35 cm. It is rather foreseeable that from the age of 45 onwards our vision changes every 5 years by +0.75 dioptres. Presbyopia can develop in addition to an already existing refractive error. People affected by myopia often notice very late that they have developed presbyopia because their eyes are able to compensate for the developing refractive error for a certain period of time.

Recommended treatment options

We will gladly inform you about all treatment options available for the correction of presbyopia during a personal consultation. The most common methods for a correction are:

• Monovision
• Implantation of a multifocal intraocular lens