Will a person who was nearsighted when young still develop presbyopia in old age?
Nov 17, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Wang Shuai
Introduction
Myopia is a refractive error caused by abnormal development of the eyeball, resulting in parallel light rays focusing in front of the retina. Presbyopia, on the other hand, is a physiological aging phenomenon that occurs with age, as the lens loses elasticity and the ciliary muscle function declines, leading to reduced accommodative ability of the eye and difficulty in clearly focusing on near objects. The two conditions are fundamentally different, and presbyopia is directly related to aging.
Generally speaking, people who are nearsighted from a young age may still develop presbyopia as they get older. The two conditions have different underlying mechanisms and do not cancel each other out. If in doubt, it is recommended to consult a medical professional early. Detailed explanations are as follows:
Nearsightedness (myopia) results from abnormal development of the eyeball, causing parallel light rays to focus in front of the retina; it is a type of refractive error. Presbyopia, on the other hand, occurs with aging as the lens loses elasticity and the ciliary muscle function declines, leading to reduced eye accommodation ability and difficulty focusing clearly on nearby objects—it is a physiological aging phenomenon. Since the nature of these two conditions differs fundamentally, presbyopia develops with age. Even individuals who were nearsighted when younger will likely experience presbyopia symptoms when they reach a certain age.
After developing presbyopia, nearsighted individuals still need to wear their myopic glasses for distance vision, but may need to reduce their myopia correction or switch to progressive multifocal lenses for near tasks. For example, someone who previously wore -3.00 diopter myopic glasses might need to switch to -1.00 diopter glasses or dedicated reading glasses when using a mobile phone or reading books in order to see close-up objects clearly. This situation indicates that myopia and presbyopia coexist, rather than myopia replacing presbyopia.
When experiencing symptoms such as blurry near vision or needing to hold reading material farther away, one should visit an ophthalmologist for a professional eye examination to determine the eye's condition and appropriate lens requirements. Self-prescribing glasses without professional advice may harm vision health. Additionally, maintaining healthy daily eye-use habits and avoiding prolonged close-up work can help reduce strain on the eyes.
