By Nigel Little
Contact lenses for presbyopia which also correct short sight and are worn only while sleeping may offer the perfect solution for the over 40's age group who have to contend with deteriorating vision as they get older. Indeed, a new survey by Bausch & Lomb - one of the world's leading eyecare companies - reveals that over 60 per cent of respondents consider that coping with poor eyesight is one of the most difficult outcomes of aging. Interestingly, respondents consider poor eyesight more difficult to deal with than impaired hearing and would rank their eyesight as a priority for preserving over their hearing. According to Michael Pier, Bausch & Lomb's Director of Professional Services for North America Vision Care, an inability to see near objects clearly like newspapers or mobile phone screens is a first indication for the over 40's that they are suffering from presbyopia.
Presbyopia generally is believed to stem from a gradual thickening and loss of flexibility of the natural lens inside the eye. These age-related changes occur within the proteins in the lens making the lens harder and less elastic over time. Age-related changes also take place in the network of muscle fibres surrounding the lens and, with less elasticity, the eye finds it becomes much more difficult to focus on near objects. According to Bausch & Lomb, the second largest group of contact lens wearers is aged 40 years and older so the onset of presbyopia causes major problems since it requires either the use of reading glasses or a switch to multifocal contact lenses which can often be tough to get used to. However, for shortsighted over 40's, the new ortho-k corrective contact lenses for presbyopia may offer a better alternative.
The ortho-k corrective contact lenses for presbyopia are actually prescribed for people who are shortsighted to correct their distance vision. Uniquely, they are only worn overnight whilst sleeping then removed each morning after which they provide clear natural vision all day long until they are re-inserted at night. The lenses work by gently flattening the surface of the cornea over the pupil to form what is known as a "treatment zone" and the cells which are displaced from this area are redistributed around the edge of the zone to form a microscopic raised ring. This raised area creates a "plus effect" on the eye which makes near distance focusing easier and the brain adjusts to use this area to do tasks such as reading thus delaying the need for reading glasses.
Check if you are suitable for overnight ortho-k corrective contact lenses .