Presbyopia is the age-related need for reading glasses

When the writing in the newspaper suddenly seems to get smaller and smaller and you have to hold it further and further away to be able to read – that’s when it happens: presbyopia begins.
Presbyopia has nothing to do with long-sightedness or short-sightedness, nor is it a disease, but simply a sign of ageing.
It usually manifests itself around the age of 45.
The onset of presbyopia can also be accompanied by recurring headaches.
Everyone loses vision between the ages of 40 and 60: the natural lens loses its elasticity.
However, our surgical methods can significantly reduce or completely eliminate the need for reading glasses in old age.
From around the age of 40 to 45, reading at close range becomes increasingly difficult – this process is called accommodation loss.
The lens loses its elasticity and the eye loses its ability to adapt to environmental conditions.
It can no longer switch optimally between near and far vision.

Presbyopia is not a disease, but a physiological ageing process and normal loss of function due to age.
It is progressive, which means that you will see less and less at close range as you get older.

The lens ages

Presbyopia occurs because the lens of the eye, like the entire human organism, ages over the years.
Calcium deposits reduce the elasticity of the lens.
From around midlife, the lens loses its ability to accommodate, which means that it is no longer able to switch easily between near and far vision.

Presbyopia: standstill at 60

Incidentally, presbyopia affects everyone without exception – regardless of whether they previously had defective vision or not.
However, accommodation does not deteriorate continuously until the end of life.
Rather, it comes to a standstill around the age of 60.

Before the procedure – preliminary examinations

During your first visit with us, we will conduct a comprehensive anamnestic interview.
Not only will your previous illnesses, any operations you have undergone and any medication you are taking be recorded in detail, but we will also clarify what particularly bothers you about your presbyopia and which methods of correction you can imagine using.
We will provide you with comprehensive information about the various options for correcting your presbyopia.

Complete eye check

Your eyes will then be thoroughly examined.
Your exact visual acuity and the exact degree of presbyopia will be determined.
The retina is also examined and the intraocular pressure is measured.
This serves to determine whether other eye diseases are present.
The eye is then measured very precisely.
This includes optical biometry.
It is considered the most precise examination method for measuring axial length and sections of the eyeball.
The curvature of the cornea is also measured.
This is done completely contact-free using a laser that measures along the visual axis.
This method is particularly safe and eliminates unnoticeable measurement errors, such as those that can occur when measuring using ultrasound.

Corneal examination

The cornea is also carefully examined and measured.
The cornea, the technical term is cornea (the word comes from the Greek and means “horn”), protects the eye and is, so to speak, the “window” of the eyes – light passes through it.
Together with the lens, the cornea forms the optical system.
For optimal correction of presbyopia, an exact map of the cornea is made.
A corneal tomography is used to precisely measure the anterior and posterior wall as well as the thickness of the cornea.
This examination is used to determine all the anatomical properties of the cornea.
The refractive power of the eyes is derived from this “map”, which plays a very important role in corrective surgery.
In the near future, we will also be offering you another painless examination of the anterior wall of the cornea – optical coherence tomography performed in the anterior segment.
This examination is contactless and can be compared to an ultrasound examination.
However, laser light is used instead of sound.

Wavefront examination

Finally, a wavefront examination is carried out.
A beam of light sent into the eye is focused precisely on the retina.
From this point, a light wavefront spreads out through the lens and the cornea.
This examination method can be used to determine exactly where laser treatment is required to optimize vision.

“No, I don’t want glasses”

If you are reluctant to wear reading glasses, varifocals or trifocals, there are several ways to correct presbyopia surgically.
At EyeLaser, we offer various options for correcting presbyopia.
Together we will select the most suitable procedure for you.
These procedures are available to you at EyeLaser for the correction of presbyopia: Monovision, either with

• Laser surgery or with
• Lens surgery(refractive lens exchange, phakic lenses)

Lens exchange, also known as refractive lens exchange, can be carried out with a variety of different, individually fitted lenses.
We offer the right lens for every type of visual defect:

• monofocal lenses (also known as “single vision lenses”, often used in cataract surgery.
• Toric lenses (for the correction of astigmatism)
• The latest generation of multifocal lenses (trifocal lenses, for near and distance vision and the area in between)
• Toric trifocal lenses (correct presbyopia plus astigmatism)
• Phakic lenses, which are implanted in addition to the natural lens.

Laser eye surgery for presbyopia Pure presbyopia can be treated in eye surgery with the PresbyMax laser eye profile(most innovative variant) and monovision.
This means that one short-sighted and one normal-sighted eye (for good distance vision) is created.
The advantage of laser eye surgery for presbyopia is the minimally invasive procedure.
In contrast to lens surgery, the eye is not opened and the laser treatment is limited to the cornea.
As a rule, people between 40 and 65 are suitable for this option.

Do you already have presbyopia?

Incidentally, you can easily test whether you have already started to develop presbyopia.
Concentrate on reading a text at close range, then quickly look at the window, a picture or the TV set that is further away.
If it takes a few seconds for your eyes to switch to distance vision (until you can see clearly again), then you should seek specialist eye care.