| The lens gradually begins to stiffen from about the age of ten, but it isn't until we reach our early-to-mid-forties that most of us begin to notice the first signs of presbyopia.
Presbyopia, a name derived from Greek words meaning 'old eyes', is a natural part of the ageing process. The crystalline lens in the eye loses its flexibility as we grow older, making it more and more difficult to focus on close objects.
Our ability to 'see' starts when light enters the eye through the cornea. The shape of the cornea and crystalline lens help refract (bend) the light so that it projects a sharply focused image on the retina.
Over time the lens becomes stiffer hindering its ability to bend and flatten the light. As a result the eye has difficulty focusing on near objects and adjusting quickly to rapid changes in focus on near and distant objects.
The decline in your ability to change focus is gradual - but inevitable. |
