Healthy Eye

In a healthy eye, the crystalline or natural lens is flexible and pliable. Muscles and fibers within the eye relax and contract, reshaping the lens in order to change focus to near, far or in between, and back again.

In a healthy eye, light enters through the eye’s natural lens and focuses directly onto the retina, yielding a clear image.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is a common age-related condition that is usually first noticed around the ages of 40 and 50. As we age, the once-flexible natural lens becomes firmer and less responsive to the eye’s efforts to change focus. This lack of flexibility reduces the eye’s ability to switch from seeing objects at a distance to seeing objects up close, resulting in the need for reading glasses or bifocals.

Presbyopia occurs when the eye’s lens loses its ability to change focus and direct light precisely onto the retina. This typically results in blurred vision when reading or looking at objects up close.

SIGNS OF PRESBYOPIA

• Loss of ability to read up close
  
• Difficulty viewing a computer screen
  
• The need for reading glasses or bifocals
  
• The need to hold objects farther away to read
  

Cataracts

Cataracts are a common vision disorder that occurs as a normal part of the aging process. As we age, proteins in the eye slowly begin to cluster together, causing the eye’s natural lens to become clouded and discolored. When this occurs, light rays passing through the eye become scattered and unfocused, resulting in a blurry image.

Cataracts cause light to scatter as it passes through the eye’s natural lens, resulting in blurred, hazy vision.

SIGNS OF CATARACTS

• Difficulty driving, especially at night
  
• Difficulty seeing at night
  
• Difficulty viewing a computer screen
  
• Colors appear dim and faded
  
• Frequent change in eyeglass prescription
  

What Are the Solutions?

Cataract surgery is the only treatment that allows you to regain lost vision due to cataracts. When cataracts are removed during your surgery, a surgeon will replace the eye’s natural lens with an intraocular lens (IOL). There are two main types of IOLs: monofocal and multifocal. Monofocal IOLs treat cataracts only. Multifocal IOLs are designed to treat both cataracts and presbyopia.