Presbyopia
The elasticity of the lens of our eye starts decreasing as soon as we are born. This natural, age-induced phenomenon is called age-induced far-sightedness or presbyopia. Age-induced far-sightedness is a physiological event, like ageing itself, and is thus not a disease.
- Presbyopia
In a normal-sighted eye, incoming rays of light are first refracted by the cornea and then by the lens. In a normal-sighted eye, the rays of light come together in a point on the retina so that a clear image is created. To be able to see objects clearly at various distances, the power of refraction and thus the shape of the lens need to change. This process is called accommodation.
- Animation of presbyopia
Age-induced far-sightedness – what does it look like?
The interactive animation to the side of this text allows you to see how the eye and image perception change with varying degrees of age-induced far-sightedness.
- Accommodation of the eye lens
Accommodation of the natural lens decreases with age
The lens consists of a flexible elastic mass, which can be regulated in its shape by extremely fine muscles. Through a slow hardening process (sclerotisation), the lens becomes increasingly less elastic, which means that the eye gradually loses its accommodation ability. Because the curvature of the lens needs to change in particular for seeing things up close, the increasing inelasticity of the lens means that we become far-sighted with age.
