Loss of Near Vision
Sometime after age 40, we begin to experience the frustrating effects of blurry near vision and turn to reading glasses for help. This loss of ability to focus up close is called presbyopia (prez-bee-‘O-pee-uh).
When we are young, our eye’s lens is flexible. Like the zoom lens of a camera, it can adjust focus from near to far. But as we get older, the lens begins to stiffen, which makes it more difficult to change shape and bring near objects into focus. So, we depend more and more on reading glasses.