How to correct presbyopia, multifocal lens glasses? presbyopia surgery? [눈+사람]

The story of the human eye, explored together by Haidak and B&Bit Gangnam Bright World ophthalmologists. We introduce diseases that harm your eyesight and various ways to keep your eyes healthy every week.

The eyes are an organ that makes you feel that you are getting old. This is because, from the age of 40, presbyopia, which makes it difficult to see letters at close range and blurry vision, occurs. Presbyopia is caused by the aging of the tissues in the eye. Our eyes have a lens that acts as a lens and a ciliary body that is a muscle that holds the lens. When we are young, these two tissues have good elasticity. When looking up close, the lens thickens and refracts more light, making objects appear clearer.

However, with age, the elasticity of the ciliary body and lens decreases, and the lens enlarges. As a result, when looking at close objects, the lens does not become as thick as before, making it difficult to see close objects. Na Gun-hoo Directorexplained the method of correcting presbyopia, saying, “Because of the nature of Koreans who do a lot of close-up work, presbyopia is inevitably more uncomfortable, so systematic management of presbyopia is necessary.”

Presbyopia, which is getting worse with ageㅣSource: Clip Art Korea

If you can’t see cell phone messages or newspaper letters well, you have presbyopia
Presbyopia usually begins to appear in the early 40s. In people over 40, there is no abnormality in far vision, but if it is difficult to read letters or objects look spread out when doing near work such as reading, cell phone, or computer, it can be said that presbyopia has come.

Since presbyopia is a symptom of aging, it occurs naturally as we age. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t suffer from presbyopia despite their age. However, recently, despite being young, presbyopia has occurred and an increasing number of people feel uncomfortable in their daily lives. It is a fact that even a new word called ‘young presbyopia’, which begins in the late 30s, is the reality. In fact, I have seen patients in their 30s complaining of presbyopia.

The reasons for the increase in young presbyopia include excessive use of electronic devices, stress, and a living environment with a lot of close-range work. In particular, people who had good eyesight when they were young are more sensitive to the symptoms of presbyopia. When presbyopia comes, you can clearly feel the difference.

Also, there is a myth that presbyopia comes early if you receive LASIK, LASEK, or Smile LASIK in your 20s and 30s. This is a misunderstanding. Because LASIK and LASEK shave the cornea, not the lens, it does not affect presbyopia caused by aging of the lens at all. This is because LASIK or LASEK surgery does not change the ability of the lens to adjust.

How to correct presbyopia ① Reading glasses and progressive lenses
Usually, presbyopia continues until the age of 60, and the degree of the eyes changes from time to time accordingly, so it is recommended to change the reading glasses frequently according to the degree. If you continue to use the reduced eye accommodative muscles without wearing glasses, it may cause eye pain, glabellar wrinkles, and headaches.

Wearing progressive lens glasses can also be one way to prevent presbyopia. Progressive lenses are glasses that allow you to see well both at a distance and near. Since one pair of glasses covers all distances, you can save yourself the trouble of using an additional magnifying glass or putting on and taking off your glasses. Eye fatigue can also be reduced by not overusing the accommodative muscles of the eyes, such as squinting when looking at close range. However, since there are multiple focal points in one lens, different focal points are applied to each field of view, which can be more expensive than regular glasses, and it may take time to adjust to the field of view depending on the movement of the gaze.

MonovisionㅣSource: B&Bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology

Presbyopia Correction ② Laser Presbyopia Surgery
People who had good eyesight when they were young feel uncomfortable when presbyopia comes and look for presbyopia surgery. The optimal time for presbyopia surgery is in the 40s and 50s without cataracts. In addition, it is recommended to perform if the eyes are too uncomfortable or if other diseases are accompanied by presbyopia.

Presbyopia surgery is performed with an excimer laser (monovision). Different vision corrections are made for each eye, with the goal of maintaining near and distance vision. To put it simply, it is to make your eyes match. Just like our hands, our eyes also have dominant and non-dominant eyes. Monovision is corrected so that the main eye, which is mainly used, focuses far away, and the other eye can focus well on near objects.

However, presbyopia correction using a laser may cause vision loss again after surgery, and as aging progresses, magnifying glasses may be worn. Since presbyopia is a progressive condition, it should be noted that vision does not continue after surgery.

Presbyopia Correction ③ Lens Insertion Presbyopia Surgery
When you reach your 60s, cataracts will progress along with presbyopia. If cataract and presbyopia need to be treated at the same time, multifocal intraocular lens implantation can be performed. It is a surgical procedure to replace the old lens of the eye with an artificial lens.

It has the advantage of being able to correct presbyopia and cataract at once, and since it can focus multiple times, it can correct not only presbyopia but also astigmatism, myopia, and farsightedness. However, when the function of the lens is intact, replacing the intraocular lens at an early stage may rather reduce the quality of vision after surgery. Therefore, it is recommended to undergo a detailed examination and consult with the medical staff to determine the appropriate surgery time.

Director Na Geon-hooㅣSource: B&Bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology
Help = Haidaq Counseling Doctor, Director Geon-Hoo Na (B&Bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology Specialist)

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