The “cause” of presbyopia is the increasing age
What is and how does presbyopia occur?
Presbyopia is a refractive error along with(myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), but it represents the difficulty in seeing clearly the objects which are close to the eye (40 cm), caused by the age-related decreasing of the eye accommodation power. The accommodation is a process whereby the lens change their shape, respectively they increases their power to provide a clear near vision.
The amplitude the lens changes its shape with decreases with age. This phenomenon is physiologically, no one can escape presbyopia, not even those who have never worn glasses. Therefore, the occurrence of presbyopia is the age-related process, which causes the loss in the elasticity of the lens and other ocular structures responsible for accommodation.

How does presbyopia manifest itself?
After the age of 40, all of us notice an unpleasant visual phenomenon: the decrease of the capacity to see well for near (reading, writing, telephone, watch, etc.) and therefore the need to to hold small reading materials at arm’s length in order to focus properly.
Presbyopic eye does not have sufficient accommodation anymore, respectively, even if we still see clearly the objects at distance, we have to wear reading glasses. They will be required only for the activities which take place at a distance of 30-40 cm from the eye, and the diopters will continue to increase until the age of 50, between 50 and 60 the progression being slower.

How is presbyopia diagnosed?
The diagnosis is established during an ophthalmological routine examination and all the available treatment options are presented. Around the age of 40-45, no matter if you had close vision difficulties before, it is recommended to undergo a complete ophthalmological exam which includes pressure measurement and also ocular fundus examination. After this age, there can emerge a lot of serious diseases which have to be detected and cured in due time.

How can presbyopia be cured?
Eye aging phenomenon is quite unpleasant for all of us and it is very often difficult to accept it, in the background of the variety of transformation our body incurs once with the increasing age. Nowadays, there is no way to prevent the occurrence of presbyopia or to stop its progression, but there are available several methods of correction.
We mean here the classical optical correction methods – reading glasses and the new surgical techniques which allow a definitive solution to the need to wear near glasses.

Which are presbyopia correction methods?
We have available several methods for presbyopia correction, and the handiest are the glasses which can be of different kinds: monofocal (only for near vision), bifocal (with pill, which correct distance and near vision) and progressive and multifocal.
The latter are the most modern glasses: the diopter increases on the surface of the same lens starting from the central area and to the bottom thus providing a better vision at all distances by means of a slight vertical movement of the eyes. Unlike bifocal glasses, the areas of different diopters cannot be seen on the lenses. Nowadays, customized progressive glasses can be manufactured. The lenses of the glasses can have different qualities, more precisely photochromic (dimming) lenses which modify their color according to the UV quantity, computer protection lenses, anti steaming, anti scratching treatment etc.
There are also the so-called „office”, type progressive lenses, useful especially for the persons who perform their activity within an office, in front of the computer, due to the fact they provide a clear vision, both at near and at intermediate distance (ex. computer screen)

Another method for the optical correction of presbyopia is represented by the progressive or multifocal contact lenses.
Contact lenses are an increasingly common option, being handier for those who have worn contact lenses since they were young and by reaching the age of 40, they note that they need different diopters for near vision. These lenses have diopters which increase from the central area to the periphery, thus allowing the focus of light rays coming from objects located at different distances depending on the degree of expansion or contraction of the eyeball. In case of preexistent refractive errors, after the age of 40, solutions can be found for near vision by using multifocal contact lenses or monofocal lenses with different diopters for both eyes, thus the correction method called monovision being achieved. This is a method by which one eye is corrected with contact lens in order to see better at distance, and the other one is converted into a myopic eye in order to have a better reading vision. It is important to keep in mind that this option is not easily accepted by all of us, because it requires an effort of the brain in order to integrate different information received from the eyes so that there is no unpleasant phenomenon such as double vision, dizziness, headaches.

Can presbyopia be cured by surgery?
The aforementioned methods represent temporary solutions which provide a better near vision but does not remove the need of reading glasses completely. The only correction methods of presbyopia are the surgical ones.
PRESBYOND
PRESBYOND is the laser procedure that helps you get rid of glasses when you have presbyopia and consists in changing the shape of the cornea, so that you can see without glasses both at distance and near, in most situations.
PRESBYOND is a personalized treatment, a sophisticated laser intervention, which increases the depth of focus (Extended Depth Of Focus) lost or diminished due to presbyopia, so that the diopter correction allows both eyes to see together at a distance, intermediate and reading. Thus, independence from glasses is obtained, in most of the daily activities.

PRELEX
PRELEX is a surgical technique that involves replacing the natural lens with an adapted one to reduce the need for glasses in the presence of presbyopia. This procedure is recommended after clinical evaluations, especially when alternative laser techniques are not suitable for objective reasons.