The story of the human eye, explored together by the ophthalmologists of Haidak and B&Bit Gangnam Bright World. We present diseases that damage your sight and various ways to keep your eyes healthy every week.
The eyes are an organ that makes you feel like you’re getting older. This is because, from the age of 40, presbyopia, which makes it difficult to see close letters and blurred vision, occurs. Presbyopia is caused by aging of the tissues in the eye. Our eyes have a lens that acts as a lens and a ciliary body which is a muscle that holds the lens. When we are young, these two tissues have good elasticity. When looking up close, the lens thickens and bends more light, making objects appear clearer.
However, with age, the elasticity of the ciliary body and lens decreases, and the lens expands. As a result, when looking at close objects, the lens does not become as thick as before, making it difficult to see close objects. No Gun-hoo Directorhe explained the method of correcting presbyopia, saying, “Because of the nature of the Koreans who do a lot of close work, presbyopia is inevitably more uncomfortable, so it is necessary to control presbyopia systematically.”
Presbyopia, which worsens with ageㅣSource: Clip Art Korea
If you can’t see cell phone messages or newspaper letters well, you have presbyopia
Presbyopia usually begins to appear in the early 40s. In people over 40, there is no abnormality in distant vision, but if it is difficult to read letters or objects look scattered when doing close work such as reading, mobile phone, or computer, it can be said that presbyopia has come.
Since presbyopia is a symptom of aging, it occurs naturally as we age. It is difficult to find someone who does not suffer from presbyopia despite their age. However, recently, despite being young, presbyopia has occurred and an increasing number of people feel uncomfortable in their daily lives. It is a fact that even a new word called ‘juvenile presbyopia’, which starts in the late 30s, is the reality. In fact, I have seen patients in their 30s complaining of presbyopia.
The reasons for the increase in young presbyopia include excessive use of electronic devices, stress, and a living environment with a lot of close work. In particular, people who had good eyesight when they were young are more sensitive to the symptoms of presbyopia. When it comes to presbyopia, you can obviously feel the difference.
Also, there is a myth that presbyopia comes early if you receive LASIK, LASEK, or Smile LASIK in your 20s and 30s. This is a misunderstanding. Because LASIK and LASEK shave the cornea, not the lens, it does not affect presbyopia caused by aging of the lens at all. This is because LASIK or LASEK surgery does not change the ability of the lens to adapt.
How to correct presbyopia ① Reading glasses and progressive lenses
Normally, presbyopia continues until the age of 60, and the grade of the eyes changes from time to time accordingly, so it is recommended to change the reading glasses often according to the grade. If you continue to use the smaller eye accommodation muscles without wearing glasses, it can cause eye pain, glabellar wrinkles, and headaches.
Wearing progressive lens glasses can also be one way to prevent presbyopia. Progressive lenses are glasses that allow you to see well both far and near. Since one pair of glasses covers all distances, you can save yourself the hassle of using an extra magnifier or putting on and taking off your glasses. Eye fatigue can also be reduced by not overusing the accommodative muscles of the eyes, such as squinting when looking at close range. However, since there are multiple focuses in one lens, different focal points are applied to each field of view, which can be more expensive than normal glasses, and it can take time to adjust to the field of view depending on the movement of the staring
MonovisionㅣSource: Bright World Ophthalmology B&Bit Gangnam
Presbyopia Correction ② Laser Presbyopia Surgery
People who had good eyesight when they were young feel uncomfortable when presbyopia comes to seek presbyopia surgery. The best possible time for presbyopia surgery is in the 40s and 50s without cataracts. In addition, it is recommended to perform if the eyes are too uncomfortable or if presbyopia is accompanied by other diseases.
Presbyopia surgery is performed with an excimer laser (monovision). Different vision corrections are made for each eye, with the aim of maintaining near and far vision. To put it simply, it makes your eyes match. Just like our hands, our eyes also have dominant and non-dominant eyes. Monovision is corrected so that the main eye, which is mainly used, focuses far away, and the other eye can focus well on close objects.
However, presbyopia correction using a laser can cause further vision loss after surgery, and as aging progresses, magnifying glasses can be worn. As presbyopia is a progressive condition, it should be noted that vision does not persist after surgery.
Presbyopia Correction ③ Presbyopia Surgery Lens Insertion
When you reach your 60s, cataracts will progress along with presbyopia. If cataract and presbyopia need to be treated at the same time, a multifocal intraocular lens implant can be performed. It is a surgical procedure to replace the eye’s old lens with an artificial lens.
It has the advantage of being able to correct presbyopia and cataract at once, and since it can focus multiple times, it can correct not only presbyopia but also astigmatism, myopia, and farsightedness. However, when the function of the lens is intact, early replacement of the intraocular lens may reduce the quality of vision after surgery. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out a detailed examination and consult with the medical staff to determine the appropriate operation time.
Director Na Geon-hooㅣSource: B&Bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology
Support = Haidaq Counseling Doctor, Director Geon-Hoo Na (B&Bit Gangnam Shining World Ophthalmology Specialist)
