Colloquially known as “lao hua” in Singapore, presbyopia is an age-related eye condition whereby the eyes gradually lose the ability to see clearly up close. In fact, the term “presbyopia” originates from a Greek word that literally means “old eyes”!
When we are young, the lenses of our eyes are flexible enough to adjust quickly and focus on objects both near and far alike. The eye achieves this by either contracting or relaxing its lens shape to bring things at varying distances into focus.
For instance, when it comes to nearby items like a mobile phone, the eye will contract the shape of its lens in order to focus on them.
However, as we age, the lens of our eyes become harder and less flexible and can no longer focus on nearby objects as well as they used to, causing our near vision to become blurry.