Will people with myopia develop presbyopia later in life?
Mar 05, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Cui Xin
Introduction
Myopic individuals will also develop presbyopia in middle and old age. Regardless of whether a person is myopic, hyperopic, or has astigmatism, presbyopia inevitably occurs with advancing age. Thus, all middle-aged and elderly individuals experience presbyopia to varying degrees and require reading glasses for correction. Therefore, the notion that “myopic individuals do not develop presbyopia” is incorrect.
Myopia is a refractive error in which parallel light rays from the external environment, after passing through the eye’s optical system, fail to focus clearly on the retina—instead forming a focused image in front of it—due to various causes. Will individuals with myopia subsequently develop presbyopia? The following addresses this question.
Will individuals with myopia develop presbyopia?
Yes, individuals with myopia will develop presbyopia as they reach middle and older age. Regardless of whether one has myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism, presbyopia inevitably occurs during middle and older age; thus, all middle-aged and elderly individuals experience presbyopia to varying degrees and require corrective reading glasses.
Presbyopia results from the natural age-related decline in the eye’s accommodative capacity—a normal part of aging. As age increases, the lens gradually becomes denser and more rigid, losing its elasticity and ability to change shape readily, thereby diminishing accommodative power.
Additionally, weakening of the ciliary muscle during middle and older age is another significant factor contributing to reduced accommodation. Diminished accommodative ability progressively impairs near vision clarity, causing the near point—the closest distance at which an object can be seen clearly—to recede. Initially, early presbyopia may cause no noticeable inconvenience; however, once the near point recedes beyond one’s habitual working or reading distance, significant visual difficulty arises.
Presbyopia is corrected using reading glasses, typically convex lenses—the same type used for hyperopia and opposite to the concave lenses prescribed for myopia. When the degree of myopia equals that of presbyopia, removing one’s myopic correction for near tasks effectively provides the same optical effect as wearing invisible reading glasses.
If the myopic and presbyopic refractive errors do not fully cancel each other out, the residual refractive error may necessitate either a myopic or a hyperopic lens correction. Therefore, the common notion that “individuals with myopia never develop presbyopia” is inaccurate.
The above outlines whether individuals with myopia develop presbyopia. We hope this information is helpful to you.
