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The over-40 crowd is finding that their arms are "growing shorter" as
words become difficult to see up close, and they must hold small items
at arm's length in order to view them clearly.
Called presbyopia, this condition occurs as eyes gradually lose their ability to focus on objects in the near range. At first it may be a problem only in low-light conditions, such as in a dim restaurant or other poorly lit room. But over time presbyopia will worsen, until it's impossible to read or do close work at all. Fortunately, boomers have more choices than their parents ever did when it comes to near vision correction.
Reading glasses are a popular option. With all sorts of styles and colours, 40-somethings can have a pair for every room in the house. And they work great as an adjunct to contact lenses. For some, segmented spectacle lenses, or multifocals with lines , serve a specific purpose. Other presbyopes are flocking to no-line bifocals , or progressive lenses, in droves now that there's no need to reveal to the world that one is a bifocal wearer. These lenses have more going for them than just good looks, though. They enable the wearer to see at all distances, from far away to up close, similar to the way that a person who doesn't need vision correction focuses.
People
who perform certain tasks at home or at work (such as pilots, sculptors,
and mechanics) may need special-purpose multifocal lenses.
Reading glasses work well with contact lenses.
Another modern option
is bifocal contact lenses , which offer the convenience of contacts
along with the ability to see close up as well as far away. Bifocal contacts
are in wide use today, as are monovision fits, in which one eye primarily
sees things in the distance, and the other eye focuses on things close
up.
