Are you noticing that it is harder to read things up close as you age? You may have presbyopia. Presbyopia occurs when the natural lens inside the eye gradually ages and loses its flexibility, resulting in blurry vision. In a younger eye, the lens flexes and accommodates to see up close. 

Symptoms of presbyopia vary from person to person, with some patients reporting the following symptoms:

• Headaches resulting from eye strain
• Holding reading material farther away to focus
• Needing larger text and more lighting to read
• Misreading words and losing valuable context
• Poor posture due to hunching or leaning in to read

If you think you may have presbyopia, here is what you should do next: 

• Schedule a routine eye exam with your local optometrist. A few simple tests are performed to check the health of the retina, integrity of the eye muscle, and prescription (refractive error). 
• Consider a pair of reading glasses. While you can buy these over-the-counter (OTC) it is advised to visit your local optometrist to receive an accurate prescription, especially because OTC reading glasses are the same prescription for both lenses.  
• Consider LASIK surgery. If you do not like to wear contacts or lenses, you may want to consult with your doctor to consider LASIK eye surgery. 

Your eyes are one of your most valuable assets. If you think you may have presbyopia, consult with your doctor to figure out the best step forward.