Definition
With increasing age, the elasticity of the lens decreases, which also reduces your refractive power. This physiological mechanism, which becomes physiological with age, causes presbyopia. It is characterised by the fact that your vision is worse in close proximity. This is especially true of the
Introduction
Presbyopia is a normal process that affects everyone with increasing age. It sets in around the age of 40. The term presbyopia is actually wrong, as there is no farsightedness in the original sense.
With farsightedness, the eye is too short. The increasing weakness of vision with age has other causes. Over time, the lens becomes less elastic and can deflect less easily.
Consequently, the refractive power decreases and things that are close to the eye can no longer be seen clearly. Only reading glasses can help. Presbyopia is a slowly progressing process that is completely physiological, i.e. normal, and is part of aging.
Cause of presbyopia
The eye is composed of many individual components. Sharp vision and its pathomechanism (mechanism that causes a disease and by which the development of the disease can be explained) is mainly due to the interaction between the lens and the cornea. The lens is a part of the visual apparatus of the eye.
It is biconvex (curved outwards on both sides) and consists mainly of proteins and water. By changing its curvature, the refractive power can be altered so that objects near or far can be seen sharply. This mechanism is called accommodation.
In order to be able to see sharply in the vicinity (for example in the case of presbyopia or long-sightedness, this process of deflection is now hindered or restricted. The more elastic the lens is, the more the lens curvature can increase. However, this elasticity is lost with age and thus leads to so-called presbyopia.
The rigid core of the lens becomes larger, which is at the expense of the soft cortex. Thus, the ability to accommodate also decreases more and more. This process already starts at birth, but progresses slowly.
The presbyopia becomes noticeable only after a certain narrowing of the accommodative capacity. From about the age of 40 to 50 this process can be observed. People with farsightedness that already exists at a younger age notice this process earlier.
In the case of presbyopia or farsightedness, this process of deflection is now hindered or restricted. The more elastic the lens is, the more the lens curvature can increase. However, this elasticity is now lost with age and thus leads to so-called presbyopia.
The rigid core of the lens becomes larger, which is at the expense of the soft cortex. Thus, the ability to accommodate also decreases more and more. This process already starts at birth, but progresses slowly.
The presbyopia becomes noticeable only after a certain narrowing of the accommodative capacity. From about the age of 40 to 50 this process can be observed. People with farsightedness that already exists at a younger age notice this process earlier.
