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Reston   (703) 485-2148 Leesburg   (703) 777-1244
Reston   (703) 485-2148 Leesburg   (703) 777-1244



Preparing Your Eyes for Middle Age

Protecting Eyesight in Middle AgeIf wine gets better with age, then it’s safe to say that people are the same way.  The older we get, the wiser we (hopefully!) become.  We know to appreciate unique experiences even more.  We take the time to appreciate life’s special moments  as they’re happening.  We value our close friendships, and we make strong commitments to our families.  In fact, everything improves with aging..

Except, of course, for your eye vision.

Unfortunately, declining eye vision isn’t something that can be kept away with advanced serums or with a healthy water drinking habit, like wrinkles and sun damage.  As you approach your late 30s and enter your 40s, you may find that your eyes begin to have trouble adapting to normal tasks, especially those that involve reading.  Maybe you find yourself holding your book farther from your eyes, or you get a headache after reading a chapter of your favorite novel.  This is usually a sign that you’re dealing with presbyopia, an eye condition that affects nearly every middle-aged person.

While being nearsighted or farsighted indicate abnormalities with the shape of your eyes, presbyopia directly affects the function of your eyes.  To understand what presbyopia does, think of the eye as a camera.  In your eye, you have a lens that’s directly responsible for one-third of your eye’s focusing power.  When you develop presbyopia, it effectively means that your lens isn’t able to focus as easily as it did when you were younger.  When this occurs, you might find that you need to hold your book farther from your eyes, or you frequently get headaches or eye strain when you read.

Since presbyopia happens to nearly everyone, don’t feel badly for seeking out corrective lenses or reading glasses.  Corrective lenses can help eliminate eye strain and fatigue, as it eases the focusing burden on the lens.  What’s more, you’ll need to schedule regular appointments with your ophthalmologist, as your lens lose its ability to focus as you get older.  Fortunately, your loss of near vision will begin to plateau around the age of sixty, which means there won’t be as great a need to adjust your reading glasses.

To ensure that you’re prepared for presbyopia, it’s important to schedule regular check-ups with your ophthalmologist.  At NewView Eye Center in Reston, VA – also serving the greater Washington DC & Northern Virginia areas – Dr. Jacqueline Griffiths can provide you with the yearly check-ups you need to enjoy healthy vision well into your golden years.

Schedule an appointment with Dr. Griffiths and her team at NewView today. Just fill out the form in the top left corner or call 703-834-9777.