With increasing age, the eyesight decreases. This is quite normal and no cause for alarm. Even people who have gone their whole lives without glasses, at some point can no longer easily enjoy the morning newspaper reading or have difficulty in their activities on the computer.
Why do we see worse as we age?
A small ring-shaped muscle in the eye is responsible for sharp vision. This bends the lens of the eye, changing its refractive power – and thus how sharply the image of reality is projected onto the retina. With age, the lens loses its flexibility and can then no longer focus accurately. Eyeglass lenses focus the light even before the eyes do, taking over some of the work that would otherwise have to be done by the ring muscle.
Presbyopic and progressive lenses.
In some cases, reading glasses help, but often glasses with multifocal or progressive lenses are the better alternative. Especially the latter now offer unproblematic and comfortable vision in almost all situations. The old stories about the alleged incompatibility of progressive lenses are no longer true. “In terms of glass development, so much has happened in recent years that you can’t even compare it to the glass technology of ten or fifteen years ago,” says Ellen Zimmermann of Munich-based eyewear manufacturer Rodenstock. “Today, an optician can supply the right progressive lens for each of his customers.”
Progress you can feel
Compatibility with progressive lenses is now so good that even difficult visual situations, such as climbing stairs or long periods of concentrated computer screen work, can be easily managed. The industry’s promise of combining problem-free vision with high visual and wearing comfort with progressive lenses thus seems to have been fulfilled. Nevertheless, development is not standing still. The latest trend among eyeglass lens manufacturers: individual, free design of the lens.
