Over 40 With Poor Vision: Why Can't You See Close Up And At A Distance?

If you're over 40 years of age and can't see things perfectly up close and at a distance, even when you wear eyeglasses, you may wonder if you'll lose your eyesight. Although a good number of adults experience problems seeing things up close after they turn 40 years of age, your eyes should still be relatively healthy enough to see at other distances. Your vision aids should also help keep your eyes clear. But if you develop an optical condition that changes the health of your eyes, such as myopia, your current eyeglass prescription may not be enough to correct your vision. Here are more things to know about your vision problems and what you can do to correct them.

Why Can't You See Things Clearly Anymore?

When you turn 40 years of age, you gradually develop an expected and normal age-related eye problem called presbyopia. Presbyopia is a refractive error eye condition that makes it difficult to read small print, view images on a computer screen, or sew your child's favorite sweater without the objects appearing blurry. You usually correct presbyopia with contact lenses or eyeglasses. But if you lose your ability to see objects from afar with or without vision aids, you may have a problem called myopia, or nearsightedness.

Nearsightedness is a type of refractive eye error that affects your corneas. Your corneas describe the clear, curved tissues that cover the surfaces of your eyeballs. Corneas also help your eyes receive and focus light, but you can easily damage your corneas if foreign objects scratch or injure them. In addition, if your corneas begin to curve too much, light can't enter them properly. Images appear distorted or blurred as a result.

Your current prescription probably won't work as well as it should to correct the new changes in your eyes. It's possible for your vision to become worse over time. To correct your new eye problems and save your vision, see an eye doctor at a place like All About Eyes for treatment.

What Can You Do to Improve Your Eyesight?

An optometrist, or eye doctor, will most likely perform a comprehensive eye exam on you. The exam may reveal scratches or injuries on your corneas that require medicine to repair. Medications, such as eye drops and antibiotics, can help the corneas heal or recover. If the damage is too great, surgery may be an option.

Surgery is often used to replace severely damaged corneas. Sometimes, eye surgeons use tissue grafts made of natural or synthetic material to correct the issues. However, this is something an eye doctor can discuss in greater detail when they examine your eyes.

If none of the problems are found above, an optometrist may simply prescribe stronger vision aids to correct your eyes. Sometimes, vision aids become outdated or damaged and lose their strength. Your new glasses may feature lenses that correct both of your issues at the same time, including progressive and bifocal. Progressive lenses may be a good option for you because they only use one lens to correct multiple vision problems. Bifocals typically feature multiple lenses to help you focus on objects at different distances, which may not be right for you.

To keep your eyes healthy after treatment, be sure to avoid dust and other things that irritate the corneas. If necessary, wear goggles or other protective gear when working outdoors in your garden or on the job. You may want to ask an eye doctor to prescribe vision aids you can use in different settings to help prevent issues in the future.

If you have additional problems with your eyes after treatment, contact an eye specialist for an appointment.