There is More to Healthy Eyes than Clear Vision

After discussing visual problems, your optometrist will use a series of tests to determine if you need prescription lenses and, if so, how strong they should be for efficient vision. There will also be checks to ensure that your eyes are working correctly as a team and to assess your ability to focus for near vision. Latest studies show that eye disease and visual impairment increase three-fold with each decade of life after 40 years of age.

“As we age everyone will experience changes in their near vision,” says Dr Stephen Vincent, optometrist, and President of Optometry Queensland & Northern Territory. “This condition, known as presbyopia, makes vision difficult at a normal reading distance and is a natural part of the ageing process. “To focus on close objects, a muscle in the eye changes the shape of the lens. When we get older the lens loses its flexibility and is less able to change its shape, making it difficult to focus on close objects,” says Dr Vincent.

Just like stiffening joints or greying hair, presbyopia cannot be prevented, but fortunately, it can be easily corrected with spectacles or lenses. “Advances in optical technology have provided more options for patients, sometimes enabling us to help ageing patients focus almost as they did as a twenty-year-old,” says Dr Vincent. For example, multifocal contact lenses, allowing patients to focus at all distances, are becoming popular with baby boomers who find this form of vision correction the best way to maintain their active lifestyle.