Ageing vision
Vision Over 40
Why close-up focus changes from about our forties, and what helps.
In short
Why close-up reading gets harder after 40
From about our forties, the lens inside the eye slowly becomes less flexible, so it finds it harder to change focus from far to near. This is called presbyopia. It is a normal part of getting older, and glasses correct it.
What you might notice
Are your arms not long enough?
You might hold a menu at arm's length to read it, especially in dim light. You just cannot get into a comfortable position where you can read something clearly.
Small print is blurred
Menus, labels and your phone look better when you hold them further away.
Dim light is harder
Reading gets harder in the evening or in a dimly lit restaurant.
Close work tires you
Your eyes tire sooner when you read or work close up.
What helps
Seeing here, there and over there
If you already wear glasses, this generally means you will need multifocal lenses to keep seeing clearly at every distance.
Reading glasses
Help you read, and blur everything else. They suit short stretches of close work.
Bifocals
Two zones: distance at the top and a reading segment at the bottom. Our Invisible Bifocal blends the segment in, so there is no visible line.
Multifocals
Far away, at arm's length and close up in one lens, with no visible lines. The power changes gradually: distance at the top, the screen and the dashboard in the middle, reading at the bottom.
For long hours at a screen, your optometrist may suggest a second pair for your desk, alongside your everyday multifocals.
Lenses at Torga
Made for you in our own lab
We make our lenses in our own lab in Cape Town, with German precision freeform technology. The surface of each lens is calculated for your prescription and your frame, which gives wider clear zones and smoother multifocals than older moulded lenses.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about vision over 40
Is presbyopia normal?
Yes. It is a normal part of getting older. From about our forties, the lens inside the eye gradually loses its ability to change focus from far to near.
Can I just buy reading glasses?
Ready-made reading glasses have the same low power in both lenses, so they cannot give each eye its own correction, and they are not for driving. They help for short-term reading, but they blur everything else. Ask your optometrist what suits you.
What does an eye test show?
An eye test shows how your close-up vision has changed, and checks the health of your eyes.