Presbyopia

Presbyopia is the loss of ability to focus up close that occurs as people age. The eye's lens stiffens with age, so it is less able to focus when you view something up close. The result is blurred near vision. Most people are between 40 and 50 years when they realize for the first time that they can't read objects close to them. For example, the letters of a book or newspaper become too small to read and you have to hold the reading material farther away from your eye to see it clearly. Currently an estimated 90 million people in the United States either have presbyopia or will develop it by the next decade.