Features
Dr. Ukandu Rightway: Presbyopia is Not From Your Village People
The process of ageing can be a fulfilling experience when you make an effort to understand it and take the necessary steps to maintain your well-being. Generally, being healthy and participating in healthy activities like exercising, regular walking, regular water intake, intermittent fasting and a balanced nutritional diet are excellent ways to age gracefully.
That being said, one of the natural conditions that come with ageing is Presbyopia. This condition is a gradual loss of your eye’s ability to focus on nearby objects. For instance, finding it difficult to read books, newspapers or things on your phone, etc without having to stretch your arm(s) at about an arm’s length away from your face.
Presbyopia evidently becomes noticeable in your early 40s and continues to worsen until around the age of 65. Again, it is a very natural process. A basic eye exam by an optometrist can confirm presbyopia and the optometrist can correct the condition with eyeglasses or contact lenses recommendations or prescriptions. No surgery is needed.
The symptoms of presbyopia are noticed gradually and these signs may include a tendency to hold reading material farther away to make the letters clearer, headaches, blurred vision at normal reading distance, eye strain when reading or doing near work (by near work, it simply means any work done at close distances like sewing, reading, writing, using a computer or a phone.) These symptoms are usually worse when you are tired or are in an area with dim lighting.
There is a question people often ask about what could exactly cause such a condition. Presbyopia is caused by a hardening of the natural lens of your eye which occurs with ageing. Normally, the lens of the eye has the ability to change its shape and adjust accordingly to focus on objects or images that are close-up. However, as we age, this flexibility diminishes, making it challenging to see objects up close.
However, other factors can make you more likely to develop presbyopia, apart from ageing. For example, being farsighted (a refractive error known as hyperopia) or having certain diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis or cardiovascular diseases increases your risk of premature presbyopia, which is presbyopia in people younger than 40. It is also worthy of note that certain drugs can be associated with premature presbyopic symptoms such as antidepressants, antihistamines and diuretics.
You have absolutely nothing to be worried about when you notice any of the signs and symptoms mentioned earlier. No one is spiritually attacking you and village people are not involved. Do not be led or deceived to put anything in your eyes. No concoction will make you age less; presbyopia will always catch up regardless. Like I always tell everyone, “An eye problem (or concern) shared with your optometrist is an eye problem solved”.
Presbyopia also has financial impacts due to productivity loss. According to a 2019 report by World Health Organisation, the annual global costs from productivity losses associated with vision impairment from presbyopia alone were estimated to be US$ 25.4 billion. It is very essential to seek solutions to the effect of presbyopia because it affects all of us as a society and not just as an individual. The good news is that the optometrist has your back and the solutions are quite simple.
***
