Presbyopia is a gradual loss of accommodation, or the focussing ability of the eye, and is part of the normal ageing process.
By their early 40’s, most people notice some difficulty with reading. This is not muscle weakness, but a natural hardening of the lens inside the eye, reducing its flexibility and responsiveness. This causes difficulty with near vision tasks like reading, or threading a needle. This is made worse under poor lighting conditions, or when a person feels tired.
Currently, there is no cure for presbyopia. Corrective lenses such as reading glasses, bifocals and multifocal or progressive lenses help people cope with their near vision tasks.