Eye test

It finally happened: you meet a friend at a restaurant, pick up the menu - and the words are a blur. This condition has a name - no not "aging". Its called Presbyopia. You know the signs: you need to hold books, mobiles and menus further and further away in order to focus properly. Close-work, like reading or handwriting, can give you headaches or cause eyestrain. There are approximately 6.9 million Australians and 1.4 New Zealand current or emerging "presbyopes" - many of whom have never had a vision problem before¹.

So how did this happen?

Presbyopia is not a disease - it's just a medical term for what's happening to your vision. It's a natural part of life for people over 40. Early in life, the eyes lens is soft and flexible, and readily changes shape to focus. As you age, the crystalline lens in your eye loses some elasticity. With the loss of elasticity, or flexibility, your eyes are less able to adjust quickly to changes in focus from near to far and in-between.

Reading glasses are NOT the only answer. There are other ways to correct Presbyopia.

There are options beyond reading glasses for correcting Presbyopia including bifocal, trifocal, and progressive-addition glasses. But glasses are still glasses and they can be cumbersome for active people dealing with Presbyopia.

The good news: contact lenses can correct Presbyopia! Bausch & Lomb PureVision™ Multi-Focal contact lenses are designed with All-Distance Optics™ to provide graduated power across the lens. This allows your eyes to seamlessly adjust to every distance. No more holding menus at arms length. No more straining. And no more dependence on reading glasses.

1. Australian Demographic Statistics, December quarter 2008, Australians aged between 40 and 64. New Zealand national population estimates March quarter 2009, New Zealanders aged between 40 and 64.