Presbyopia — causes, symptoms, treatments

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What is presbyopia?

We've all seen older friends and family hold menus or books at arm's length. This is the effect of presbyopia, and it happens to everyone. Starting at around age 40, the lens inside your eye begins to lose flexibility, causing blurry vision up close, especially in low light.

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What causes presbyopia?

When you're younger, your eyes' lenses are very flexible. As you age, the lenses become more rigid, making it harder for the small muscles that control them to adjust their shape. Without a flexible lens, it's difficult to focus on things up close.

Signs and symptoms of presbyopia

  • Blurry vision in low light
  • Headaches
  • Eye fatigue
  • Eye strain after reading
  • Needing to use the light on your phone to read the dinner menu
  • Needing to increase your phone's font size to read small print
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Detection and diagnosis

If you're around 40 and noticing changes in your vision, you're probably experiencing presbyopia. It can be diagnosed by your eye doctor during your annual eye exam. Be sure to share your concerns with your doctor at that time. If you need vision correction, your doctor will provide a prescription following a thorough exam.
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How to correct presbyopia

Eyeglasses, reading glasses or contact lenses can all help. Specifically, ACUVUE Contact Lenses for presbyopia are designed to correct your vision near, far and in between, decreasing your need for reading glasses or other vision correction.

Why choose ACUVUE for presbyopia?

Clear vision near and far

Seamlessly go from reading close up to seeing far away, even on the move.

Optimized for your pupils

Pupil size changes with age. We account for that to provide clear, crisp vision.

Designed for all-day comfort

ACUVUE contact lenses are moisture-infused to help prevent dry, itchy eyes.

UV protection#

UV blocking# is standard across our entire line of contact lenses.

ACUVUE Contact Lenses made for presbyopia

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Presbyopia vs hyperopia: What's the difference?

While presbyopia and hyperopia (farsightedness) are both vision issues that make it hard to see clearly up close, their causes and the ways you treat them are different.

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Presbyopia: Age-related farsightedness

If you’re around age 40, you may notice that it’s getting harder to read small print. This is called presbyopia, and it’s the most common change occurring in the adult eye.

A simple illustration of a multifocal contact lens with labels about the different zones of focus

Contact lens options for presbyopia

If you’re starting to experience blurry near-vision and want to know how contact lenses could help, you’re in the right place.

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Presbyopia vs. myopia: What's the difference?

Get to know the similarities and differences of presbyopia and myopia.

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Footnotes

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#Helps protect against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye.
WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long-term exposure to UV radiation is one of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (altitude, geography, cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-blocking contact lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Consult your eye care practitioner for more information.

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Important information for contact lens wearers: ACUVUE Contact Lenses are available by prescription only for vision correction. An eye care professional will determine whether contact lenses are right for you. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. To help avoid these problems, follow the wear and replacement schedule and the lens care instructions provided by your eye doctor. Do not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. If one of these conditions occurs, remove the lens and contact your eye doctor immediately. For more information on proper wear, care and safety, talk to your eye care professional, call 1-800-843-2020, or download the Patient Instruction Guides.

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