Do You Have Presbyopia or Farsightedness

The symptoms of farsightedness and presbyopia are similar, but these two conditions aren’t the same thing. Both can lead to headaches, eye strain, overall fatigue, and trouble seeing things up close, but the reasons behind these symptoms are different.

Farsightedness, or hyperopia, occurs when an irregularly-shaped eye prevents light from properly lining up with the retina. The result is that it’s hard to see things close up. People of any age, including babies, can be farsighted.

Presbyopia is an age-related condition in which the lens of the eye becomes less flexible. Seeing details like words in a book or an online article or adjusting focus between far-away and nearby objects is difficult. This condition is most common in people between the ages of 40 and 50. To learn more about presbyopia, read Presbyopia: The 40-something Eyesight Challenge. 

There’s no fail-safe way to prevent farsightedness or presbyopia. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting yearly eye exams are the best ways to guard against eye trouble, but sometimes, there’s just no way to get around it. Thankfully, there are very effective ways to treat both of these conditions.

Your VSP network doctor can prescribe corrective lenses to improve your near vision and your ability to transition between far-away and nearby objects. If you’re farsighted, your eye doctor will likely prescribe lenses that change the way light comes into the eye. Laser surgery may be another option for treating farsightedness.

The most common way to treat presbyopia is with bifocals or progressive lenses but reading glasses and multifocal contact lenses are two other options.

See your eye doctor if you think you might be farsighted or presbyopic so you can work together to find the best solution for your eyes.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.