Presbyopia is losing the ability of the lens to change the focus of the eye through suitability, during this process the shape of the lens is changed by the eye muscles. Presbyopia starts at the first years of the forties and finally everybody is affected.

The main problem is the same as hypermetropia. Focal point of light rays coming from near objects remains behind the retina and out of focus. In Hypermetropia, The reason is that the eye globe is smaller than the normal. In Presbyopia the reason is that aged lens become harder and flexibility is decreased. This makes sharp bending of light rays difficult or impossible required for realization of suitability that provides the focus point coming in front of the retina.

Reading may be more difficult at night or at less light or when you are tired. Presbyopia occurs regardless how your vision defect is.

The first symptom of Presbyopia is the necessity to make the objects away from you while you are reading. As time passes blurry vision increases and pain occurs at forehead and temple regions. Focusing the eye to near objects by force brings other problems with time. After reading, net vision of far objects would be difficult temporary, because far objects also need suitability to be able to be focused. The only solution of Presbyopia is optical correction (reading glasses or contact lenses). For myopia, people using correction lenses need double focused glasses (upper part is for far vision and bottom part is for near vision) or they use two separate glasses.

Because Presbyopia becomes worse, prescriptions written until sixties change frequently. When reached to these ages, Presbyopia becomes stable. From the age of 60-65 focusing ability of the eye actually stops since the lens has lost its flexibility; at this level near vision is completely dependent to the glasses. However Myopia ones sometimes remove their far-sighted glasses when looking near and they do their jobs with more comfortable vision.

What are the symptoms of Presbyopia ?

Presbyopia patients have difficulty of vision when the objects come closer than 50 cm. For this reason they can see by removing the objects. As time passes if near vision is still bad, it accompanies with pain at forehead and temple regions.

How Presbyopia Is Treated?

There are many treatment methods applied in this subject in the world. These treatment methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. Today in our hospital intraocular multi-focal lens operations and presbylasik laser treatments that is accepted as the most reliable method in the whole world for the Presbyopia treatment are used successfully.

1. Treatment with Glasses

• Bifocal Glasses
• Multi-focal (progressive) glasses

2. Treatment with Contact lenses

Multi-focal contact lenses: Patient adaptable to lenses may get successful results when they use these lenses. However for patients over 40 years of age may have difficulties in usage since the quality of tear is decreased.

Monovision with contact lens (leaving one eye myopia): Adaptability to the treatment becomes certain only after the first examination.

3. Surgical treatment

For surgical treatment of eye, there are 3 places for surgical application.

a.Cornea

• Presbylasik Treatment
• Monovision excimer laser treatment

b. Lens

• Multi-focal Lenses
• Accommodative Lenses