Presbyopia Versus Hyperopia

While reading glasses can be the treatment for both conditions presbyopia and hyperopia are two different conditions. The significant difference is the cause of the condition, hyperopia is often heredity while presbyopia develops as we age.

Hyperopia

The size and shape of everyone’s eyes are different, and it is the shape of the eye that is the root of hyperopia. The clear covering on the front of the eye known as the cornea is more flat than is should be and because of this the eye, while able to focus clearly on objects far away is unable to focus on objects close, like text when we are trying to read. Similarly the clear disc known as the lens that changes shape can also be misshapen and create the same result, the eye is underpowered and because of this you cannot see in close-up clearly while objects in the distance are in focus. Another physical deformity that can cause this condition is when the entire eyeball is too short from back to front.

If you find yourself squinting to read or experience headaches from reading you may be experiencing the symptoms of hyperopia. The condition of untreated can progress to the point where even distant objects become blurry. This condition can be inherited and can affect people of any age, from infants to seniors.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia on the other hand is directly due to the aging process of the body. As we age the eye slowly loses flexibility and because of this we become unable to focus on objects up close. Literally the lens becomes more rigid and is unable to as easily change shape to focus.  It may seem that the condition has developed suddenly in actuality you have been losing this near focus ability your entire life. Most people will be being to identify the symptoms when they are 40 or 50 years old, the first clue is when text becomes fuzzy and you start to move books and menus further away to read them clearly.

Treatment Options

While maintaining a healthy diet does wonders for the eyes, and getting regular checkups from an eye doctor goes a long way in keeping your eyes healthy, there really is little we can do to prevent us from needing reading glasses. Even regular exercise can help keep the eyes healthy longer but in the end, there is really no way around it.

It is because of these conditions, and the desire to create the ideal reading glasses that Visualites exist. While there are other treatment options including surgery and progressive lenses these are much more expensive, and in the case of surgery potentially dangerous. You can also treat both hyperopia and presbyopia with contacts but many people do now want to deal with the hassle and cost of contacts when reading glasses do the trick just as well and you do not have to bother with wearing contacts all day.

If you are concerned that your condition we highly recommend you see an optometrist or ophthalmologist, but if you are confident you just need reading glasses then the first step is to determine what power reading glasses you need. We have created an easy to use chart, click here for our “What Power Reading Glasses Do I Need” page with instructions and downloadable pdf. Once you know your power you can order online our lightweight rimless reading glasses made with optical quality lenses and that come with a hand case so they are easy to keep with you.