Presbyopia:
Information for adults

There is nothing that can be done to prevent the natural process of presbyopia. Ensuring that you have good, bright, and well-focused light and holding reading material farther away when you read is often very helpful. Good self-care also includes regular eye-care checkups, not only to preserve and protect your eyes but to detect whether you are getting presbyopia. 

Those with perfect eyesight that develop presbyopia can often use reading glasses found in drugstores. These are very simple magnification lenses, usually with powers from +1 to +4 diopters (a measure of lens power). If this applies to you, take some reading material with you and test out the various glasses to find the one that works best for you. For a best test, hold the material at your normal (usually 14 inches away) reading distance. Note that a different power is needed for use with the computer.

Note: Claims that certain eye exercises, therapeutic contact lenses, or medications can be used to treat presbyopia are false.
The time to seek medical advice for presbyopia is when self-care no longer works and/or:

• The difficulty with close vision prevents you from reading or doing close work comfortably.
• You find that working with the computer and/or reading has become difficult.
• You are having more headaches, eyestrain, fatigue, or frustration when trying to read and/or use the computer.