Why some old people don't get presbyopia?

Question

Is there anything we can do to prevent it?

Answer 1

RoVale is a perfect example of someone who doesn't think he is presbyopic.

The reason he can read without his distance glasses is precisely BECAUSE he IS presbyopic.

If he wasn't presbyopic, he would be able to read with his distance glasses on.

It often balances out for a time, if you need a - 1.50 for distance, for instance, and also need a + 1.50 for reading...then when you take the - 1.50 off, it balances out to 0.00...so for a time, it is possible to see fine up close without a correction, but as the presbyopia gets worse, and the difference becomes greater...help will be needed for them too.

Presbyopia is just natural ageing of the lens of the eye. No one escapes it.

Those who do appear to have done so have logical reasons why it is so. It isn't that they aren't presbyopic.

Answer 2

I haven't developed it and I'm in my late 40s. In my particular case, it's because I am very nearsighted and for some reason, this condition delays the onset of presbyopia. I can see close up and read just fine without reading glasses, which is unusual for someone my age.

Edit: I'm not denying that I have presbyopia. I'm just saying that I am not showing the effects of it. I do have problems when I'm wearing my contacts lenses but that could also be that I do have slight astigmatism and dry eyes. Reading glasses when I'm wearing contacts don't help much so I end up having to take the contacts out when I want to read small print.

By the way, I'm also not a "him".

Answer 3

I've never seen a case, in 27 years in optics, of someone over 50 with perfect eyesight and no presbyopia.

There's always been some other factor at work in people who appear to manage with no glasses for near or distance at relatively  advanced age.

Most common reasons:

Having one eye naturally shortsighted, and using that for closework, and the other for distance.

Having small pupils and benefitting from the pinhole camera effect (but with poor light difficulties)

Having short-sight and accepting a poor distance vision as normal (often competely unawares: I've had people with 6/24, 20/80, assure me their distance vision was fine, but that could easily equate to a -2.00 Rx.  And had people driving with that acuity, or worse! )

Having moderate to severe astigmatism, giving compromised but usable vision at more than one distance.

(especially combined with a smallish pupil, or half-shut eyelids.)

The anti-cataract eye drops which are supposed to clear and soften the lens of the eye and, according to some, improve accommodation, have not won wide acceptance and I know  of one hospital, having given them fair trial, discontinuing due to lack of effect.

Answer 4

I doubt that the 80 year old woman has great distance vision.  Some people refer to the betterment of their vision in their old age as "second Sight" we refer to it as a myopic shift.  It is from the development of cataracts

Answer 5

You can get presbyopia at a young age although there is a tendency to get it more when you are older. It is when you find it hard to read small print. Glasses with bifocals will help this. Forties isn't old either! The elderly that don't have it are the exception. We all watch too much TV, read and type at the computer, use computer games and such. We basically strain our eyes too much. Beta carotene is one thing that is supposed to help keep our vision sharper. Heredity plays a part too.