Presbyopia — causes, symptoms, treatments

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Boxes of Oasys Max, Acuvue Moist, and Oasys contact lenses, a popular brand known for its exceptional comfort and visual clarity

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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Try Presbyopia Screener

Are things starting to get blurry up close? Learn more about our presbyopia screener - it can help determine if multifocal contact lenses are a good solution for you.

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Captain Jason and Multifocal Contact Lenses

"We work long hours as captains from dawn to dusk, not having to rely on glasses, but not only that, having a great contacts like ACUVUE® OASYS MAX. I can see in these various conditions, there's a hell of a lot of paperwork that a lot of people don't understand that is in a captain's role, and then you've got to turn that straight away as you're driving a boat to you're creeping up onto some reefs, you've got some vessels coming on, you've got all the rules in the world that you've got to pay attention to and you need your eyesight for that, and then you're back down. ACUVUE® OASYS MAX Multifocal allows me to see near, far, and in between" - Captain Jason Chambers.

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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
An eye doctor performing a vision test with a tonometer in her office

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.
A man reading a newspaper on a bench in the woods.

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

Get started with ACUVUE contact lenses

Try ACUVUE for free*

Provide some basic information and get a certificate for a free* trial pair

Find an eye doctor

Use our locator tool to find a doctor who can fit you with ACUVUE contact lenses

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Related content

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Get to know treatment options for presbyopia

Seeing clearly up close becomes more difficult as you age. So what can you do about it?

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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.

An illustration of a side view of an eye showing how light rays do not focus correctly when viewing things up close.

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.

An older woman with grey hair and glasses sits at her kitchen island working on her laptop

Presbyopia vs. myopia: What's the difference?

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

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Footnotes

*Free trial contact lenses available only from participating eye care professionals. Exam and fitting fees not included.

#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.

Reward amount dependent on ACUVUE product and quantity purchased and if you are a new wearer. Must get an eye exam and purchase from participating provider. Original receipt required. Valid thru 06/30/24.
Rewards paid in the form of an ACUVUE brand Prepaid Mastercard. Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted in the U.S. issued by The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Your use of the prepaid card is governed by the Cardholder Agreement, and some fees may apply. This is not a gift card. Please note that prepaid cards are subject to expiration, so pay close attention to the expiration date of the card.

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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