The Aging Eye
Suddenly you can’t see the small print. For the first time in your life, you need reading glasses. You may joke that your arms are getting shorter, but we both know that your changing vision has nothing to do with appendages.
The human eye has multiple parts and layers that change with increasing years. The lens of our eye is located behind the iris, the colored part of our eye. The lens functions like the lens in a camera, controlling focus. In most cases, we are born with clear lenses able to flex to make focusing possible.
Through aging, the lens grows in layers, rather the way an onion grows. But with time those layers become denser and more pigmented. Denser lenses are not able to flex as well; focusing at becomes harder.
We begin to lose our focusing power starting from age 10, but not until the 38 to 42-year-old range do most people require reading glasses or bifocals. And, unfortunately, the process continues. That may mean frequent prescription changes in your 40s and 50s.
As the lens becomes less functional in focusing, it also begins to develop pigmentation and clouding. This process is referred to as cataract development. On average, most people begin to show signs of early cataract changes in their mid-50s. You may not be aware of cataracts until your vision becomes affected by glare, blur or nighttime difficulty.