Did you ever wonder why older people prefer larger font sizes? Because as you age, your eye's lens is likely to become more and more inflexible, which makes it more difficult to focus on near objects. The clinical term for this is presbyopia. It's something that happens to everyone.
Those with untreated presbyopia may hold printed text at arm's length to be able to focus properly. In addition to reading, other close-range tasks, such as sewing or writing, could also cause eyestrain and discomfort. In order to treat presbyopia, you have a number of options, which take your eyewear preferences into account.
The thing with reading glasses is that they are mostly useful for those who wear contacts or for people who don't already wear glasses for problems with distance vision. You can buy these basically anywhere, but it's advised not to purchase them until you've had a comprehensive eye examination. Those cheap reading glasses may be handy for short blocks of reading time but they can result in eyestrain with extended use.
If you already have glasses, consider bifocal or multi-focal corrective lenses, or PALs progressive addition lenses, which are very popular. These are glasses that have more than one point of focus; the lower portion helps you see nearby objects. If you already wear contacts, it's best to talk to your eye care professional to discuss multifocal contact lenses, or a treatment approach called monovision, where each eye wears a different kind of lens; one that corrects distance vision and one for close vision.
Since your eyesight continues to change as time goes on, you can anticipate adjusting your prescription periodically. Presbyopia could be a problem for older individuals even after refractive surgery, so it is it's worthwhile to take the time to find out about all the options before making decisions about your vision care.
Have to chat with your eye care professional for an unbiased perspective. We can give you the tools to help you deal with presbyopia and your changing vision in a way that is best for you.
