Gen Xers and Their Vision Problems

New York City, Long Island, and Manhattan, NY

Generation X is the label given to people coming up behind the generation of Baby Boomers, those born between 1961 and 1981. As Gen Xers enter their 40s, they are finding themselves facing the changes that aging brings about, including changes in vision.

How Vision Changes With Age

Some people might be blessed with excellent vision for their whole lives, but they are far and away the exception. Most people begin to see a decline in visual acuity starting about the age of 40. These vision changes, called presbyopia, occur when the lens loses flexibility, making it more difficult to focus on nearer objects and also making it more difficult to change focus quickly, as when looking from a near object to an object that is farther away.

There are several options for treatment of presbyopia. Reading glasses can help for a time, but eventually it is likely you’ll decide to get a prescription for bifocals, trifocals or progressive lenses. All of these different types of glasses provide various focusing power based on distance. It is also possible to get bifocal contact lenses, or to use monovision contacts, in which one eye is corrected for close work and the other is corrected for distance.

LASIK and Age Related Vision Changes

LASIK eye surgery can also provide a permanent solution for presbyopia. In many cases, LASIK surgery involves creating a permanent monovision approach. One eye is corrected for better close vision, and the other is corrected for better distance vision. Though monovision can take some time to get used to, after a while it becomes second nature for your brain to switch eyes depending upon distance.

For Gen Xers, the need to switch to bifocals can be a bit upsetting, since they’ve thought of themselves as the younger generation for so long. But the variety of options available to help with presbyopia and other age-related vision issues can provide even a member of Generation X with a suitable treatment.

For information about presbyopia and general eye care for eyes over 40, please contact the New York City ophthalmology offices of James Kelly, M.D. Dr. Kelly can provide information as well as prescription glasses or LASIK eye surgery.  Serving clients in Manhattan, Long Island, and throughout the New York City area.