Presbyopia or "short arm" syndrome.
Presbyopia is a vision condition in which the crystalline lens in the eye loses its elasticity and makes it difficult to focus on close objects.
Presbyopia is not a disease as such, but a condition that affects everyone at a certain age. It is a natural ageing process of the eye. Presbyopia, or farsightedness, may seem to occur suddenly, but the actual loss of the lens flexibility takes place over a number of years. The first symptoms are usually noticed between the ages of 40-50, but the ability to focus starts to decline from quite an early age. This condition cannot be prevented.
Signs and symptoms
- Difficulty seeing clearly for close work
- Print seems to have less contrast
- Brighter, more direct light is needed for reading
- Reading material must be held further away, hence "short arm" syndrome
- Fatigue and eyestrain, maybe headaches when reading
Detection and Diagnosis
Presbyopia is detected with an eye examination.
Treatment
The treatment for presbyopia can be very straightforward. If the patient has good distance vision and only has problems with close work, then reading glasses can be the simplest solution. For others, bifocals (glasses with reading and distance corrections) or separate pairs of reading and distance glasses may be necessary.
We have for sale, top quality reading glasses.
The lenses are polycarbonate and aspheric meaning there is no distortion in the lens no matter where you eye looks through the lens, up, down or sideways. This is why expensive cameras utitlise the same technology.
Please DON'T buy cheap reading glasses - these generally have cheaper perspex lenses which cause distortion and they are not comfortable to use for any length of time. You are just wasting your money!
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