Presbyopia is a universal condition of human aging. All individuals eventually become symptomatic with presbyopia, usually between the ages of 38 and 42.
Presbyopia occurs as the lens of the eye loses its ability to bend and flex. This loss of accommodation begins very early in life but usually becomes symptomatic around age 40. The eye focuses light much as a camera focuses light. As the eye loses its ability to focus at near items, people with presbyopia will need reading glasses or bifocals to see near objects.
Note that people with both near-sightedness and presbyopia may still be able to see up close without their glasses, but they will need glasses with bifocals to use their glasses to see both far away and close up. Far-sighted people will need glasses with bifocals to see both distant and near.
People with presbyopia will need glasses or contact lenses. There are a few new types of surgery that address presbyopia, but, in general, presbyopia is a difficult condition to eliminate surgically.
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