Presbyopia is a normal ageing change that makes reading more difficult and affects virtually everyone, typically from their mid-forties although it develops from childhood. Presbyopia can not be prevented and occurs whether you are short-sighted, long-sighted, or neither. It occurs because the lens inside the eye that normally changes shape to provide a change in focus has lost its elasticity and flexibility and is less able to change shape. Presbyopia resembles hyperopia in making close work more difficult, but is not the same. A common clue to presbyopia becoming evident is having to hold objects out at arms length to see them, and complaining that your arms are not long enough. Spectacles and sometimes contact lenses are used to correct presbyopia; multifocals are a popular spectacle lens option for this.
