If you have normal distance vision, and have not worn eyeglasses to correct your far vision, it is likely that you will simply need Reading Glasses or “ Readers ” to correct your presbyopia. Reading Glasses offer a simple solution for presbyopia in that they allow you to wear them when you need to read or see close, and remove them when you wish to see at a distance. In fact, this is the limitation of Reading Glasses…they must be removed in order for you to see anything far away. This can be annoying for many people who wish to be able read a newspaper and watch television at the same time, or participate in any combination of far and near tasks.
For people who already wear eyeglasses for distance vision or who wish to be able to change their focus from far to near or near to far, Bifocal eyeglasses or Trifocal eyeglasses may be a better option for correcting Presbyopia. Bifocals and Trifocals are eyeglass lenses that have distinct segments for different ranges of vision. Bifocals have 2 segments, one for far vision and one for near vision, whereas Trifocals have 3 segments in order to provide a segment for intermediate or arms length vision for tasks like computer work. Bifocals and Trifocals then have some distinct advantages over Reading Glasses as they give you the ability to see at different distances without needing to remove your glasses. However, Bifocals and Trifocals can only provide either 2 or 3 “zones” of clear vision rather than continuous clear vision. Another type of eyeglass lens that corrects Presbyopia is called a Progressive Addition Lens (PAL). PALs offer seamless continuous vision that allows you to see far, intermediate and near in a smooth clear continuous focus, rather than in segments or zones of clear vision as with Bifocals and Trifocals. Also, PALS are invisible so that they provide a nicer cosmetic appearance than Bifocal or Trifocals.
