Age-related farsightedness or presbyopia - methods of diagnosis and treatment

After a person crosses a certain age line, he gradually begins to have health problems. Usually negative phenomena begin to manifest in those who turned 40 years old. One of the most unpleasant pathologies is deterioration of vision, which in medicine is called age-long farsightedness or presbyopia.

Definition of disease

In the early stages, older people may not even pay attention to the fact that close subjects, and especially printed text, have become perceived somewhat worse.Usually this is perceived as fatigue of the eyes, so not everyone plans a visit to the ophthalmologist. Hyperopia associated with age usually affects both eyes at once, in addition, it progresses and if you do not take appropriate measures in time, you can lose sight completely.

Presbyopia - this age-related changes in the structural components of the eyeball, which lead to deterioration of accommodation, i.e. lost its ability to adapt to different distances when considering objects.

For the quality of accommodation meets the lens - a natural lens, responsible for the refraction of rays (refraction) and transfer them to the retina. With age, the elasticity of the lens is lost, its transparency, the ciliary muscles become less mobile.These changes negatively affect not only the visual acuity, but also the vitreous metabolism, intraocular pressure, retina.

If a person had myopia, then you can not notice the signs of the onset of age-long-sightedness long enough, since myopia compensates this process.

Causes

Age-related farsightedness (presbyopia) is the same inevitable process as the appearance of senile wrinkles.It can not be prevented, but early diagnosis can play a decisive role in choosing a method of treatment. The change in the focus point of the eye is usually caused by a decrease in the elasticity of the lens.In a person with normal vision, when viewing near and far objects, the curvature of the lens changes, and the focus point always remains on the retina.Therefore, objects at different distances are seen equally clearly.

Changing the point of focus of the eye

With age-related hypermetropia, the lens is dehydrated and compacted, which leads to the inability to focus the vision on closely located objects. There are a number of factors that can provoke the onset of age-related farsightedness:

• infectious diseases of the eyes;
• injuries;
• not entirely successful ophthalmic operations;
• hypertension;
• atherosclerosis;
• diabetes.

In addition, additional risk factors are bad habits. The constant lack of vitamins in the body can also play a negative role.

Persons who have a predilection for farsightedness, revealed in childhood, are more likely to develop presbyopia than those who do not have this diagnosis.

Symptoms of age-related hyperopia

Such pathology as presbyopia does not arise spontaneously, and its first signs a person can feel at the earliest stages, in which visual discomfort is not so noticeable. At the initial period of development of age-long-sightedness, the following symptoms may occur:

• dizziness and headache;
• painful sensations in the eyeballs and brow ridges;
• spontaneous lacrimation;
• fear of bright light.

Then more serious symptoms begin to appear:

• after being in the sun, visual acuity is markedly reduced;
• there are double contours of objects;
• At work with the text after a while the symbols merge.

In a person with normal vision, the adaptation time after bright sunlight is 15 to 30 seconds.At different stages of age-long-sightedness, this time is much longer. Blurred contours of objects appear when moving the eye from close objects to distant and vice versa. When reading, after 15-25 minutes, individual letters merge into a dark line. If you look at the distant object, and then again on the text, for a short period of time, normal vision is restored.

Further development of pathology is manifested as the inability to read, watch TV and perform small and fine work due to the fact that closely located objects are blurred and very visible not clear. In this case, distant objects are seen well and distinctly.

Many do not pay attention to pain in the eyeballs, nose bridge or superciliary arches. However, this indicates that you need to visit an ophthalmologist. And it should be done as soon as possible.

Possible complications

The development of progressive age-long-sightedness can lead to serious eye diseases. These include:

• keratitis;
• conjunctivitis;
• glaucoma;
• strabismus.

In these cases, the elimination of age-related farsightedness is complicated. Therefore, it is so important to detect the presence of age-related changes in the eye in a timely manner.

Diagnostics

To establish the age-long-sightedness, various diagnostic methods are used:

• visual acuity check table;
• ophthalmoscopy;
• computer refractometry;
• echobiometry;
• tonometry.

  Appointment tonometry of the eye

The table for checking the vision is in every eye cabinet.This is the easiest method for detecting visual disturbances. When ophthalmoscopy, the doctor carefully examines the fundus, the retina and the optic disc. Computer refractometry allows you to assess the refractive properties of the cornea and lens. In the process of echobiometry, the length of the eyeball, the thickness of the lens and the depth of the eye chamber are measured. Tonometry is used to measure intraocular pressure. All these methods are non-contact and completely painless.

Sivtsev-Golovin table for carrying out visometry

Treatment

The most common and fairly reliable way to combat age-long-sightedness is wearing glasses.They are prescribed by an ophthalmologist on the basis of diagnostic tests.

Categorically not allowed to use someone else's glasses, even if they, at first glance, help to see the text and small objects well.

It is impossible to correct age-related farsightedness with medications, but they can have a preventive effect in the initial stages of the disease.In addition, with long-sightedness, vitamin complexes are very useful, including important vitamins in addition to vitamins.

Medications

With age-related visual impairments, the doctor may recommend the following drugs:

• Taufon;
• Riboflavin;
• Focus;
• The oculist.

  Typhone is used in the treatment of iridocyclitis

Drops for eyes Taufon by right are considered one of the best drugs that have a positive effect on age-long-sightedness. In addition, they relieve irritation and sensation of foreign matter in the eye.

Vitamin B2 is the main component of Riboflavin drops.The drug is indicated in many eye diseases. The complex focus contains vitamins and trace elements. When it is received, the ability of the eye to focus on closely located objects improves. The oculist capsules contain herbal biologically active substances and vitamin A.

In some cases, the physician may prescribe physiotherapy procedures. These include:

• magnetotherapy;
• acupuncture;
• electrophoresis.

  Magnetotherapy

Surgery

Since age-long-sightedness most often occurs due to sclerotic lens changes, the most effective method is its transplantation.As a result of the operation, the lens is extracted and replaced with an artificial lens. The operation is performed on an outpatient basis through a small incision and with local anesthesia.

To correct farsightedness it is possible by a method of excimer laser correction. In this case, the curvature of the cornea changes, which allows you to shift the focus point to the retina. Conducted on modern equipment, laser correction is completely painless, and a positive result is achieved only in 90-95%.

Transplantation of the lens

Folk remedies

As ancillary drugs with age-long farsightedness, some folk remedies from plant components can help.Good results are shown by the use of leaves and berries of blueberries, motherwort and the root of wheat grass. These components are brewed with boiling water, insisted and taken in accordance with the recommendations of the doctor.

Without a doctor's recommendation, you should not take any medications, and it is also not recommended to use folk remedies.

Prevention

Despite the fact that the age-related farsightedness occurs in everyone who has reached a certain age, its offensive can be slightly slowed down.For example, eye gymnastics is a very effective way to slow the development of this pathology.It is necessary to protect eyes with dangerous work, to protect them, handling dangerous chemical components. You can not overexert vision, reading or performing fine work in poor light.

An example of exercises for the eyes

It is very important to observe the correct mode of work and rest.Rational nutrition with a large number of vitamins can also delay the onset of age-related farsightedness for a while. Abuse of alcohol and smoking can trigger the development of this pathology long before the normal age of its onset.

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conclusions

It is necessary to reconcile that age farsightedness will not be avoided by anyone. But a healthy lifestyle and the implementation of all the recommendations can push her offensive for a long time. It should be at least once a year, visit an ophthalmologist, and in the presence of provoking diseases observed in specialists of the appropriate profile.