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Presbyopia, the age-related loss of near focusing ability, affects a vast segment of the global population. It is estimated that over 1.8 billion people worldwide had presbyopia as of 2015. The prevalence rate is approximately 25 percent of the global population, with nearly all individuals becoming affected to some degree by age 60.
read more about presbyopia ...The prevalence rate changes dramatically with age. While symptoms typically begin to manifest around age 40, the condition progresses rapidly between the ages of 40 and 55. Individuals in the 45–54 age group have the highest representation of clinically diagnosed presbyopia. The amplitude of accommodation (near focus ability) is nearly completely lost around age 55, and the required reading power stabilizes thereafter.
The global impact of uncorrected presbyopia is significant, representing a major public health and economic burden. Uncorrected presbyopia severely hinders daily activities such as reading, using digital devices, and occupational tasks, substantially affecting productivity. While easily corrected with spectacles or contact lenses in developed nations, it often remains underdiagnosed and inadequately managed in low- and middle-income countries. This lack of accessible correction limits economic activity and severely impacts the overall quality of life for billions.
The standard correction method in most markets is spectacles, with specialized reading glasses or multifocal spectacles being the most common intervention. However, contact lenses, including soft multifocal lenses and monovision lenses, are rapidly growing in popularity due to their cosmetic and functional advantages.
Increased screen time, particularly in the modern digital society, has amplified the burden of presbyopia. Focusing on close objects for prolonged periods highlights the eye's diminishing accommodative ability, causing earlier symptoms of eye strain and blurring, even in patients with mild presbyopia.
Common associated symptoms beyond blurriness include eye strain, frontal headaches, and difficulty seeing clearly in low light. Some data suggests that dry eye symptoms may worsen in older presbyopic patients due to altered visual demands.
No, it is a natural, unavoidable stiffening of the eye's lens due to aging.
No, digital devices do not cause it, but they make the symptoms of the natural process appear earlier due to increased visual demands.
No, contact lenses (multifocal and monovision) and surgical options are also used for correction.
See your eye doctor if you are over 40 and experience difficulty reading small print, have to hold reading material farther away, or experience headaches after close work. Annual comprehensive eye exams are necessary to detect the onset of presbyopia and rule out other simultaneous conditions like cataracts.
Ophthalmology. Global Prevalence of Presbyopia and Vision Impairment from Uncorrected Presbyopia (aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(18)30143-5/fulltext). 2018.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. The Global Burden of Potential Productivity Loss from Uncorrected Presbyopia (arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2730303). 2019.
World Health Organization. World report on vision (who.int/publications/i/item/9789241516570). 2024.
Clinical Ophthalmology. Patient satisfaction and visual experience with multifocal contact lenses (dovepress.com/patient-satisfaction-and-visual-experience-with-multifocal-contact-lens-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTH). 2025.
British Journal of Ophthalmology. Impact of digital device use on symptoms of presbyopia in adults over 40 (bjo.bmj.com). 2025.