How to deal with presbyopia - New contact lens may help

An estimated 90 million people in the United States have presbyopia - a vision condition in which the natural lens of the eye gradually loses flexibility, making it difficult to focus on close objects.

Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable around the age of forty, although some people don't have a problem until their early fifties.

Presbyopia occurs due to aging of the lens inside your eye. As time goes on flexibility decreases and the lens does not allow you to see close too any more.

Presbyopia is more noticeable and pronounced in dim conditions. The popular example involves fumbling for a pair of reading glasses in a posh restaurant. The effects are less noticeable in bright sunlight.

Other familiar indicators of presbyopia include delays in focusing at near or distance, ocular discomfort, headache, squinting and the need for brighter light for reading.

Many contact lens wearers starting to experience the signs of presbyopia also cite problems with dryness and discomfort and consider abandoning contact lens wear, despite a strong desire to continue wearing them.

Acuvue Oasys Brand Contact Lenses for Presbyopia use new technology to provide clear and comfortable vision correction at all distances with less dependence on illumination than older-generation multifocal contact lenses.

The new lens is made from the same silicone hydrogel material of Acuvue Oasys and features Hydraclear Plus to create an ultrasmooth contact lens, especially for environments that can make eyes feel dry and tired.

(June 18, 2009)