Eye Health Resources

Presbyopia vs. myopia: What’s the difference?

Presbyopia and myopia are different vision issues with different causes—presbyopia is farsightedness that happens to nearly everyone as they age, while myopia is when the eye grows too long during development, causing nearsightedness.

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What is Presbyopia?

An age-related change that happens to almost everyone

Presbyopia is a normal part of aging that typically starts becoming noticeable around age 40. Why does this happen? Well, inside your eye you have a clear, flexible lens that, with the help of tiny muscles in your eye, changes shape to help you focus on things near and far. As you get older, that lens becomes less flexible, making it hard for your eye to focus on nearby objects. This can become especially difficult in dim light conditions. A telltale sign is a person holding their phone at arms length to be able to read it. 

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What is Myopia?

More than just blurry distance vision

As the science of myopia becomes clearer, we’re learning that nearsightedness, or blurry distance vision, is just a symptom of myopia. Myopia itself is a chronic, progressive diseases that leads to the eye growing too long. This excessive eye growth doesn’t just make it harder to see things that are far away, it also may increase the chance of eye health issues later in life, like retinal detachment, certain types of macular degeneration—even blindness. 

Presbyopia vs. Myopia

A quick look at the differences

Presbyopia:

  • Objects appear blurry when they’re up close
  • Symptoms don’t typically kick until at around age 40
  • It’s caused by the lens in the eye becoming less flexible
  • Symptoms can be more obvious in dim lighting

Myopia:

  • It’s difficult to clearly see things that aren’t close up
  • You’re more likely to get it if your parents had it
  • The eye grows too long, making it difficult to focus on things that are not nearby
  • Typically progresses until a person enters adulthood
  • Increases the chances of eye health issues later in life

Older woman smiling and consulting with her doctor about her concerns

Presbyopia Treatments

A variety of approaches to discuss with your doctor

There are a few ways that your eye doctor may recommend treating your presbyopia, depending on your eye health history and your lifestyle. They may include eyeglasses, contact lenses, surgery, eye drops, or a combination.

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Myopia Treatment

To correct or to manage?

The way your eye doctor may approach treating your myopia depends on a few things—like how old you are and whether or not your eyes have finished growing. If your eyes are done growing, they may simply prescribe correction, but if your eyes are still growing, they may come up with a myopia management plan to potentially help slow the growth of your eye.

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FAQs

Frequently asked questions

How do I get contact lenses?

To get contact lenses, you'll need to make an appointment with an eye doctor for a contact lens fitting. Contact lens fittings may take longer than a regular eye exam since your eye doctor needs to determine what shape and size lens you need, as well as your prescription.  

If you're looking to try ACUVUE® , you'll find plenty of optometrists near you who carry ACUVUE® lenses and can explain why they might be right for you.  

How much do prescription contacts cost?

How much prescription contacts cost depends on several factors such as the type of lenses, wear duration (daily disposable contacts, bi-weekly lenses and monthly contacts) and correction type (astigmatism and multifocal lenses). The cost of ACUVUE® daily disposable contacts can have an average cost range from $642.40 to $1700.90 annually. Bi-weekly ACUVUE contacts can be disposed of after 2 weeks and have an average cost around $321.20 to $496.40 annually, and ACUVUE® monthly contact lenses can cost anywhere from $248.20 to $321.20 annually on average. You can also sign up for the MyACUVUE® reward program to get exciting rewards and exclusive benefits on your purchase. 

What’s the difference between bifocal and multifocal contact lenses?

Bifocal lenses have two zones correcting distance vision and near vision. Multifocal lenses use more than two zones in a single lens to provide seamless transitions between distant, intermediate, and near vision. Talk to your eye doctor to determine if either might be right for you. 

What are multifocal contact lenses?

Multifocal contact lenses are lenses with multiple powers incorporated into the design to help enable distance, near, and in-between vision. They’re typically prescribed for people with presbyopia—the vision change that happens to everyone as they age, making it harder to read things up close.  

Is my contact lens prescription different than my eyeglass prescription?

Yes, your contact lens prescription is different from your eyeglasses prescription because it includes base curve, diameter and material or brand, which are all specifications unique to contact lenses. These specifications ensure the lens is a good fit for your eye. They may vary based on the brand your eye doctor prescribes after assessing your eye health and lifestyle. Also, if you have astigmatism or presbyopia, your prescription may include measurements for those as well.  

Are there contact lenses you can sleep in?

There are contact lenses that you can sleep in, but you should only do this under the advice and supervision of your eye doctor. ACUVUE® has an overnight orthokeratology lens called Abiliti Overnight that is specifically designed to correct myopia during sleep. That said, most contact lenses are not designed for overnight wear and can in fact increase the chance of eye health issues if you do wear them overnight. As always, it's best to talk to your eye doctor if you have questions about when to wear your contact lenses.  

Related content

A middle-aged woman sits in coffee shop drinking coffee from a mug read a newspaper

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 if contact lenses could help, you’re in the right place.

Footnotes

Consult your eye care professional for more information. J&J does not provide medical advice; this information is for educational purposes only.

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


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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 and ask for a Patient Instruction Guide, call 1-800-843-2020, or download the Patient Instruction Guides.

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