Adult Vision: 41 to 60 Years of Age

If you are over 40 years of age, you've probably noticed changes in your vision. Difficulty seeing clearly for reading and close work is among the most common problems adults develop between ages 41 to 60. However, this is also the time when other changes in your eyes can start to affect your work and enjoyment of life.

Beginning in the early to mid-forties, most adults may start to experience problems with their ability to see clearly at close distances, especially for reading and computer tasks. This normal aging change in the eye's focusing ability, called presbyopia, will continue to progress over time.

Initially, you may find you need to hold reading materials farther away to see them clearly. Print in the newspaper or on a restaurant menu may appear blurred, especially under dim lighting. If you already wear prescription glasses or contact lenses to see clearly in the distance, the near vision changes caused by presbyopia can bring about the need to use bifocal or multifocal lenses. If you are nearsighted, you may have discovered that you now need to remove you glasses to see better up close. Fortunately, people with presbyopia now have many options to improve their ability to see well.

Along with the onset of presbyopia, an increase in the incidence of eye health problems occurs during these years. Whether or not there is a need for eyeglasses, adults should be examined for signs of developing eye and vision problems. A comprehensive eye examination is recommended at least every two years. Don't rely on an insufficient substitute like the limited driver's license vision test or other vision screenings to determine if you have an eye or vision problem.

Adults over 40 may be particularly at risk for the development of eye and vision problems if any of the following exist:

Understanding Age-related Vision Changes

Just like your body, your eyes and vision change over time. Aging changes in various parts of the eye can result in a number of noticeable differences in how well you see. While not everyone will experience the same level of symptoms, the following are common age-related vision changes: [back to top]

Encountering Problems with Near Vision after 40

If you have enjoyed relatively good vision throughout your life and haven't needed eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct distance vision, then the development of near vision problems after age 40 can be somewhat of a concern and a frustration. Losing the ability to read the newspaper or see the cell phone numbers may seem to have occurred abruptly. Actually, these changes have been occurring gradually since childhood. But up until now, your eyes have had adequate focusing power to allow you to see clearly for reading and close work. Now your eyes no longer have enough focusing power for clear and comfortable near vision tasks.

This loss of focusing ability for near vision, called presbyopia, is simply the result of the lens inside the eye becoming less flexible. This flexibility allows the eye to change focus from objects are far to objects that are close. Persons with presbyopia have several options available to regain clear near vision. They include: As you continue to age through your 50s and beyond, presbyopia becomes more advanced. You may notice the need for more frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions. Around age 60, these changes in near vision should stop and prescription changes should occur less frequently.

Presbyopia can't be prevented or cured, but many options are available to help compensate for the loss of near focusing ability. Most individuals should be able to obtain clear, comfortable near vision for all of their lifestyle needs.

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Warning Signs of Eye Health Problems

This is also the time in life when your risk for developing a number of eye and vision problems increases. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may have the early warning signs of a serious eye health problem: Regular eye examinations and early diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases can help you continue to preserve good vision throughout life.

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