WHAT IS PRESBYOPIA AND WHEN TO WEAR GLASSES

You are over 40 years old, and maybe you noticed that when you read a newspaper, a book or your phone, you had some difficulty distinguishing the letters clearly? This is due to the appearance of a vision disorder . More precisely the presbyopia !

To be sure, it's very simple! 

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Presbyopia, what is it?

As we age, we all experience annoying changes in our vision:

• it becomes more difficult to concentrate
• it is more and more difficult to see clearly on close objects .

Reading becomes difficult, you think you need reading glasses, you just become presbyopic . Rest assured you are not alone! 1 in 4 people and in your case.

What is presbyopia?

Presbyopia is a loss of near vision from the age of 40. It appears from the age of 40. The visual organs (the lens and the ciliary muscles harden as we age and the effect of focusing on near objects is even harder.

• You turned 40

Presbyopia is the visual problem that appears around 40-45 years old. It evolves until 65-70 years to finally stabilize. This loss of vision evolves regularly, which is why it is necessary to see an ophthalmologist every 2 to 3 years.

• Your arms are too short

At the beginning by moving your work away and with good lighting, you manage. And the more the presbyopia increases, the more you will keep your books, documents, newspapers away from your eyes... until they become too short!

• You fall asleep while reading

Whether at work or at home, your eyelids become heavy, you feel like dozing off after reading or spending time on your computer. Another sign of the onset of presbyopia. Subconsciously your eyes focus on your text and all the other parts of the eye work hard to compensate and allow for sharp vision.

• You often have headaches

Visual fatigue related to presbyopia can cause headaches. After a long reading or computer work, you have headaches. Do not hesitate to ask your optician or your doctor if reading glasses can relieve you

• You reduce your activities closely

Seeing up close becomes complex, presbyopic people often tend to no longer practice their activities requiring good near vision. Do you read less and less, do you wear makeup less every morning than the day before, do you always order the same thing at the restaurant? so many daily signs that show us the need to wear reading glasses.

• Looking for more light

Another symptom of presbyopia is the need for direct, bright light to focus closely. So if you find yourself looking for more and more light when reading, sewing, or working at other hobbies up close, it may be a sign that you need vision correction for presbyopia.

• You perceive halos

Even when it is not Christmas you have the impression of seeing beautiful circles of colored light. This can be very annoying especially when driving. If your vision blurs in a way that creates a halo effect around car headlights, streetlights, or other objects, see your eye doctor.

You need reading glasses for your daily life! To simplify their maintenance, don't forget the Opticlair-Varionet disinfectant and cleaning wipes and the Varionet anti-fog microfiber glass towel , an essential accessory in this season and when wearing a mask.

Varionet: for whom? Why?

Varionet.com is a number 1 online optical store in the field of presbyopia glasses, computer glasses and in France since 2008. We specialize in proximity glasses intended for presbyopia after 40 years and computer glasses and offer you innovative presbyopia lenses with corrections from +1.00 to +3.50 as well as rest lenses for the youngest.

Work, re-entry and eyestrain

The month of September is here, synonymous with back to school and this is a sign that the holidays are beautiful and well over! Summer is coming to an end and autumn is on its way. We have to adapt to the days that are getting shorter and it is common for eyestrain to appear. No more idleness, little naps, the daily routine is back with the long hours spent in front of digital devices and paperwork.

Presbyopia, what is it?

Presbyopia is a natural age-related phenomenon ; it is a change in near vision which gradually becomes blurred and wearing glasses to read is then essential. It appears around 40 years, increases until 60-65 years to stabilize. The term “presbyopic” appears around 1690 and comes from the ancient Greek “presbutês” meaning “old”!

What are the symptoms of presbyopia?

These signs are numerous and happen without even realizing it. One of the first symptoms will be asthenopia or more commonly all the manifestations linked to the fatigue of the ciliary and oculomotor muscles ; you feel a feeling of fatigue such as eye discomfort, tingling, headache, fixing his attention becomes more and more difficult.

These genes are all the more important when the light is low, we approach the windows, we seek the best angle to be able to read. The most characteristic sign of presbyopia is pulling a document away to read it, the symptom of “arms that are too short”.

Putting on make-up, sewing, tinkering, reading, all activities requiring near vision are becoming more and more laborious, even impossible.

How presbyopia works

Presbyopia is due to the natural decrease with age of the ability to accommodate the lens when reading . 

To see up close, crystalline , transparent lens inside the eye, bulges quickly under the action of the ciliary muscle, it thus increases its power of refraction, to form a sharp image whatever the distance on the retina: it is the 'accommodation.

This accommodation is therefore a very rapid movement of the lens and can be compared to the focusing of autofocus devices.

 The value of accommodation varies with age: very important in children (12-14 diopters at 10 years old) it is at its maximum around 20 years old (10 diopters) then begins to drop: 6 diopters around 37 years old, 4 diopters at 45 years old to reach 1 diopter around 60-70 years old.

Inevitably, the lens ages with age and loses its elasticity, it hardens. The action of the ciliary muscle on this more rigid lens becomes difficult, the accommodative power of the eye decreases.

Focusing for near vision is no longer done correctly.

In the presbyopic, the accommodative power of the lens decreasing , the image of a close object is no longer on the retina but behind it . The net reading distance increases; we move the text away but the size of the characters limits this distance! Vision at the usual reading distance becomes blurred.

How is presbyopia corrected?

To compensate for this lack of accommodation, near vision must be optically corrected with reading glasses equipped with convex lenses, of positive power, it produces a magnifying effect ; then the image will form again on the retina. Presbyopia is measured in diopters from 0.25 to 0.25 from +0.75 to +3.50.

This correction is determined according to your working distance and your age.

To this defect of near vision, can be added visual defects of distance vision such as myopia, astigmatism or hypermetropia. Then on your prescription appear 2 corrections: that of vision from afar and that of near often noted in the form of an addition.

The correction of presbyopia evolves approximately every 2-3 years; you will then have to take the opportunity to consult an ophthalmologist who will not only check your visual needs and can also detect any other visual condition, glaucoma, AMD, conjunctivitis…

We spend long hours at work, this environment can have various daily influences or even risks on our long-term visual health.

Lighting:

Poor lighting is a common problem when working especially in office environments. The ideal is to work in natural light, which allows us to be more relaxed. Unfortunately far too many offices are poorly lit and the main source of light is fluorescent light, neon tubes. This light is white but sparkles a lot, emitting peaks of certain wavelengths; this causes eyestrain .

In addition to these lighting issues, we must not forget that we spend a lot of time in front of our computer screens, which are themselves a source of light and glare and visual fatigue. Our eyes are exposed to an influx of images: pixelated images of the screen but also the reflection(s) of our surroundings. This is very tiring and the reality of many assets spending 8 hours on PCs. This is why it is imperative to position your screen so that it does not receive the reflection of light.

We must take into account that electronic devices emit their own light with a significant peak of harmful blue light, so we must protect ourselves from their negative effects by avoiding abuse and wearing blue light blocking glasses.

Environments:

Temperature is a frequent source of conversation in the office; there are those who are cold, those who are hot! Heaters, reversible air conditioning are working well… What impact for the eyes? These heating systems dry out the atmosphere and lead to a common eye problem: dry eye syndrome . The eyes tend to dry out after hours spent concentrating and working because we blink little to moisten our corneas.

To avoid feeling these genes, workplaces should be naturally ventilated as much as possible. If this is not feasible, there is always the option of installing humidifiers to maintain a healthy atmosphere.

Eye fatigue:

Several factors are therefore harmful to our sight at work, so that visual fatigue and eye stress are unavoidable. To minimize the effects, it is important to rest your eyes regularly by looking into the distance, taking breaks and doing some simple exercises to relax.

Visual fatigue should not be confused with presbyopia, an age-related visual defect that appears after the age of 40 and affects near vision . Some people with near vision difficulties equate it with visual fatigue as they become presbyopic! The simplest solution to remedy this: reading glasses equipped with degressive lenses.

The aging of the eye, a subject that concerns us all!

Our tissues and organs age . Unfortunately, the eye does not escape this harsh reality. Today it is important to protect his eyes against the ultraviolet rays , blue light and for some infrared . The aging of the eye is a subject that concerns all individuals, it is necessary to have ophthalmological and optometric check-ups once a year.

The aging of the lens

The lens is simply the lens that sits inside the eye, just behind the iris (see diagram). This one deforms by pressure from the ciliary muscle. This deformation allows to have a clear vision, it is the accommodation. The lens becomes less and less flexible over the years and this leads to the symptom of “arms that are too short”, presbyopia.
After Presbyopia, it is the transparency of the lens which is reached, the crystalline lens becomes opacified especially with exposure to the sun and blue light: this is the cataract .

The aging of the retina

The retina and its central part, the macula , allows to see the details, it is what allows the individual to be able to read and recognize shapes and faces. The aging of this can be very disabling, this is called age-related macular degeneration: AMD

The aging of the optic nerve

The optic nerve is simply the " messenger », the one who will transmit the visual information from the eye directly to brain . With age there is a decrease in the number of nerve fibers originating from the retinal ganglion cells. This reduction in the fibers of the optic nerve is accelerated in the event of chronic glaucoma, a disease whose incidence increases with age.

Aging tear glands

The eye is permanently soaked with tears secreted by the lacrimal glands . The secretion of his tears decreases with age, which can lead to eye dryness .

Aging tear ducts

The tears are processed by lacrimal ducts to the nasal cavities. With age, these pathways can shrink and/or clog . This results in individuals with intermittent or permanent tearing. If this discomfort is too great then it is possible to go through the surgery .

Vitreous aging

The vitreous is a transparent and homogeneous gel inside the eye. With age, certain parts liquefy, condense... Which leads to the appearance of " flying flies 'or' flashes of light ".