Reading and performing other tasks requiring visual acuity becomes more of a challenge beginning around the age of 40. Vision, when no longer crisp and clear, causes eye strain and, potentially, headaches, and seeing things up close becomes difficult. These symptoms may indicate the onset of presbyopia.
Individuals who experience the following symptoms may have presbyopia and should consider wearing reading glasses:
Clearer vision when objects are held at a greater distance.
Difficulty reading books and magazines due to blurred vision.
Headaches and drowsiness after short periods of reading.
Difficulty seeing in dimly lit areas.
Eye fatigue and discomfort.
Presbyopia has been documented in various ancient Chinese medical texts. The condition is often described as “clear vision for distant objects but blurred vision for close objects.”
Why Do People Develop Presbyopia?
In the eye, there is a structure called the crystalline lens, responsible for regulating the ability to focus on objects at varying distances. Surrounding the lens is a ring of ciliary muscles. When these muscles contract, the lens becomes thinner, allowing for distant vision. When the ciliary muscles relax, the lens thickens, enabling close-up vision.
Naiwen Hu
Naiwen Hu is a Traditional Chinese Medicine physician at Shanghai Tong Te Tang in Taipei and a former Stanford Research Institute scientist. Hu has treated more than 140,000 patients, taught at an American university, and hosts a popular YouTube health program with 900,000 subscribers, as well as international wellness roadshows.
