Called presbyopia, this condition occurs as eyes gradually lose their ability to focus on objects in the near range. But today s baby boomers have more choices than their parents ever had when it comes to near vision correction. Reading glasses are popular, and there are all sorts of styles and colors to choose from. They work great as an adjunct to contact lenses or for people who don t need vision correction other than for close up.
Many presbyopes prefer no-line bifocals, or progressive lenses.
These lenses are more attractive than the old-fashioned bifocals or segmented spectacle lenses. Also, progressive lenses enable the wearer to see at all distances, from far away to up close, in a very natural way. Another modern option is multifocal contact lenses, which offer the convenience of contacts along with the ability to see close up as well as far away. Bifocal contacts are in wide use today, as is monovision, in which one eye wears a lens to see primarily things in the distance, and the other eye wears a lens for focusing on things up close. Full reading glasses are suitable for people who spend a great deal of time concentrating on material close-up.