Want To Ditch Those Reading Glasses?

Oct. 25, 2005 — -- Like death and taxes, it happens to just about everyone: Presbyopia, or age-related vision loss.

As we age, the lenses of our eyes become thick and stiff, making it harder to focus and see up close. This affects nearly 100 percent of people over age 45, according to the National Library of Medicine.

But rather than wearing reading glasses, many middle-aged and older adults are exploring options from special contact lenses to surgery, said Dr. Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, chief of the Refractive Eye Surgery Department at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

"There is a lot of motivation to turn back the clock, people are more active and they feel young and want to look young," says Dhaliwal. "They don't want to assume the role of an older person. Everyone calls them 'granny glasses' -- that's something patients don't want to do."

But, first off, if you're starting to notice that it's difficult to see up close, it's time for an eye exam, said Dr. Susan MacDonald, director of Comprehensive Ophthalmology at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.

"You need to get a thorough eye exam to make sure there's no other issue, because this can be a sign of an eye disease or a sign of a systemic disease such as diabetes," MacDonald said.

If the exam reveals no other problems but presbyopia, it's time to discuss treatment options, she said. The first and simplest solution is reading glasses, which can be purchased at pharmacies. There are also bifocal lenses for people who already wear eyeglasses for distance vision.

However, this option doesn't work well for people who dislike glasses or who need to see up close without glasses, Dhaliwal noted.

"It's frustrating for women especially because they can no longer put on eye makeup and see the little things that you used to see," she said.

In that case, the next step is to wear a single contact lens for "monovision." All people have a dominant eye, and just like being left-handed or right-handed, it's typically the right eye. It's naturally set for distance viewing.