What Is Presbyopia?
Though often confused with “farsightedness”, presbyopia is
a progressive eye condition that is a perfectly natural part of aging.
Presbyopia is marked by a gradual inability to focus sharply on nearby objects,
and is likely caused by the loss of flexibility in the lens of the eye—the part
responsible for focusing images properly on the retina.
As the lens loses flexibility, the eye’s ability to nimbly
adjust its focus on images based on varying distances is compromised, resulting
in blurry vision at specific near distances.
That means people who develop presbyopia often need to use
magnifying “reading glasses”, bifocal lenses, or progressive lenses depending
upon the results of an eye exam.
A traditional bifocal lens has a distinct “line” in the
lens separating two distinct visual fields (solving two distinct vision
correction problems). Progressive lenses accomplish the same goal, but without
visible lines between the different visual fields. This is why progressive
lenses are often referred to as “no-line bifocals.”