Key Takeaways
- Myopia, or nearsightedness, makes distant objects look blurry while close-up vision stays clear.
- Presbyopia is a natural part of aging that makes close-up focus harder over time.
- You can have both at once, since nearsightedness doesn’t prevent presbyopia.
- Taking off your distance glasses to read can hide early signs of presbyopia.
- Progressive and bifocal lenses can help you see clearly near and far.
You squint at a highway sign up ahead, but need to hold your phone at arm’s distance just to read a text message. If that sounds familiar, you might wonder what’s going on with your eyes and how you could have trouble seeing both near and far at the same time. Our team at Lowy & Sewell Eye Care hears this question often, and we’re here to explain what’s going on.
Yes, you can have both presbyopia and myopia at the same time. They’re 2 separate changes in your eyes, and a comprehensive eye exam with optometrists in Thornhill, Vaughan can help determine how each affects your vision.
What Is Myopia?
Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. If you’re nearsighted, distant objects, like the scoreboard at your kid’s hockey game or the faces on a TV across the room, look blurry. Myopia often starts in school age and is most often caused by the eye growing too long from front to back.
What Is Presbyopia?
Presbyopia is a natural part of how your eyes age, with most people over 40 developing it. Your eye has an internal crystalline lens that becomes less flexible over time. As it hardens, it becomes more difficult to focus on close-up objects. If you catch yourself holding objects at arm’s length to make them clearer, like a menu or text message, it may be time to book an eye exam.
How Myopia and Presbyopia Can Show Up Together
The Myth About Nearsightedness and Presbyopia
You may have heard nearsightedness and presbyopia cancel each other out. They don’t. These are 2 separate eye changes, and having one doesn’t make the other disappear.
The reason people sometimes think that their myopia is getting better is that their natural nearsightedness can help them focus on close objects, even as their eyes become less able to adjust focus with age. It may feel like presbyopia has cancelled out your nearsightedness, but it is still developing.
Lens Options for Clear Vision Near and Far
When you have both conditions, 1 pair of glasses can help you see at more than one distance. Your eye doctor can talk through these options with you:
- Progressive lenses give you a smooth shift from far to near with 1 pair of glasses.
- Bifocal lenses have 2 zones in a single lens, one for distance and one for close-up.
- Prescription updates help your lenses keep up as your eyes change.
The right choice for you depends on how you spend your day. Someone who reads spreadsheets for hours may want something different from someone who spends weekends on the golf course.
When to Book an Eye Exam
Small vision changes are easy to brush off, especially once you’ve found little workarounds, but getting your eyes checked is an important part of your health routine. Consider booking an appointment if you notice any of these signs:
- You have new trouble reading books or phone screens.
- You often remove your glasses to see up close.
- Your vision has changed since you turned 40.
An eye exam gives your eye doctor in Vaughan a clear look at how your eyes focus up close and far away. From there, our team can help you find lenses that fit your routine, whether you spend time on a laptop, behind the wheel, or on the couch with a novel.
Schedule Your Visit
At Lowy & Sewell Eye Care, our team takes time to get to know you and how your vision shapes your daily life. If reading has started to feel like a chore, we encourage you to book an eye exam with our optometrists in Thornhill, Vaughan. Together, you can explore lens options for clear near and far vision.
