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Are you having trouble seeing clearly up close? There are two main reasons you could be noticing a change in your near vision. How do you know what is causing it? and should you run straight to the optometrist?

If you are in your early to mid forties and you are beginning to notice that reading has become difficult, chances are you are noticing the beginning signs of presbyopia. The condition of presbyopia is an age related phenomenon that effects only near vision.

Presbyopia is related to a thickening of the lens inside your eye. This lens, known as the crystalline lens, is responsible for focusing from distance to near. It accomplishes this feat by adjusting shape. As we approach the great age of 40, the crystalline lens has grown so dense that it begins to lose some of it's elasticity. This happens to most everybody right around the age of 40 years or better.

Presbyopia can be addressed in a number of ways. The easiest form of correction is with cheater glasses. Just pop on a pair of specs when you need to see up close and voila! However, don't expect to see anything in the distance if you are wearing reading glasses, unless they are progressive or bifocal lenses.

an alternative means of correcting presbyopia is with contact lenses. Lenses can be fit in many ways. One common fitting style is referred to as monovision; where one eye is corrected for near vision and they other for distance. This works very well for many people and is a simple solution. Multifocal contact lenses can also be employed for a more progressive range of vision.

There are even some surgeries being tested to correct your presbyopia. CK surgery is the most common and widely used corneal refractive surgery used for presbyopia.

If you are having trouble with your near vision but you are not approaching forty years of age it something different entirely. Most likely you are farsighted, also known as hyperopia. In essence your eye, from the surface of the cornea to the retina, is too short and light rays do not come to a clear focus. in theory, the focal point is behind the eye. Because of the power of the crystalline lens in young people, mildly farsighted kids and teenagers don't even notice a vision correction is necessary. However, uncorrected farsightedness can lead to headaches and eye strain.

So should you see an eye doctor? Answer, yes! Only your eye care provider can be entirely certain that your eyes are healthy. Vision is only a small portion of your eye exam.