Can age-related reading vision loss lead to blindness?

Presbyopia is an age-related loss of up-close reading vision. Usually, you will start to notice changes around the age of 40. It is nothing to be concerned about and nearly everyone gets it in their lifetime. But does presbyopia continue to progress until you can’t see up-close at all? Let’s take a look.

Presbyopia changes your quality of vision over time

Presbyopia usually continues to progress until about age 60. It often affects quality of life, especially if you have to remember to bring reading glasses with you wherever you go. What’s more, because your vision can change over the course of many years, you might find yourself having to change your prescription several times. However, the condition does plateau so, no, you will not lose your up-close vision completely or go blind because of presbyopia.

Up-close reading vision loss progression

Although the main risk factor for presbyopia is, simply put, your age, some research shows that the sun’s UV rays could contribute as well. Presbyopia occurs because the natural lens in your eye begins to lose elasticity; this progresses over time. However, presbyopia may occur prematurely in people exposed to higher amounts of UV rays, notably, those that live closer to the equator. This is because the heat from the sun’s UV rays break down the structure of proteins in the eye’s lens, contributing to its loss of elasticity and, therefore, your ability to focus on things up-close. This is a good reason to always make sure you protect your eyes from the sun by wearing UV-blocking sunglasses.

Is it possible to treat presbyopia?

There is no way to prevent presbyopia, it is a normal part of aging. However, you don’t have to suffer through changing prescriptions or the hassle of having multiple pairs of reading glasses around the house.

Find out if you're a candidate by booking your free, no‑obligation consultation today!