Glasses
The simplest route, no surgery. Reading glasses, or progressives that handle distance and near in one pair.
Presbyopia · Himayat Nagar
Presbyopia: options for age-related near vision
After about forty, the eye's natural lens stiffens and near vision blurs, the menu, the phone, the fine print. It happens to everyone. There is more than one way to correct near vision, and the option is matched to your eyes and your daily needs.
What it is
A natural lens that stiffens with age.
When you are young, the eye's lens is flexible and switches focus from far to near effortlessly. From the forties it gradually stiffens, so near focus fades, first the phone in dim light, then the fine print everywhere. It is universal and harmless. It is also separate from a cataract, though the same lens may later cloud. Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy matches the fix to your eyes.
Your options
More than one way back to near vision.
There is no single "best" answer, only the one that fits your eyes, your prescription, and how you use your vision. Here are the options.
Patient guide
Presbyopia: what to know before you decide.
How the assessment works and what each option asks of you.
Who it is for
- Adults from around their early forties who find near print harder to read, especially in dim light.
- People who already wear glasses or contact lenses and now need a different power for near work.
What happens, step by step
- Vision at distance and near.Your power is measured for far, for the computer and for reading.
- Your working distances.How far you hold a phone, a book and a screen is discussed, because the correction is set for those distances.
- Eye examination.The natural lens is checked for early cataract, and eye pressure and the retina are examined.
- Options.Glasses, multifocal contact lenses and lens implants are explained with their trade-offs.
Which tests are done, and why
- Refraction for distance and near.Gives the reading addition you need at your working distance.
- Slit lamp examination of the lens.Shows whether a cataract is forming, which changes the options.
- Eye pressure and retina check.The forties are also when screening for glaucoma begins to matter.
What you feel
- The tests are painless. Dilating drops, if used, blur near vision for a few hours.
Limits of each option
- Reading glasses and progressive glasses carry no medical risk. Progressive lenses take days to a few weeks to get used to.
- Multifocal contact lenses trade some sharpness for range, and carry the usual contact lens risks, including infection if hygiene lapses.
- Lens implants involve surgery inside the eye, with the same risks as cataract surgery, including infection, swelling, and halos or glare at night.
- No option restores the focusing range of a young eye, and the reading power needed changes over the years.
The surgeon explains which of these apply to you before you choose.
What affects the cost
- The option chosen: glasses, contact lenses, or a lens implant.
- For glasses, the lens design selected.
- For lens implants, the lens selected and your insurance policy.
Fees are explained at the consultation. For lens implants a written estimate is given after your eyes have been measured.
What to bring
- Your current glasses, including any reading glasses.
- A note of your usual working distances and the tasks you find hardest.
- A list of your medicines.
How care is organised here
Assessment, procedure and follow-up as one plan.
Your assessment, your presbyopia care and follow-up visits are planned together, so the findings from your consultation carry through to the procedure and the reviews afterwards.
1
ConsultationExamination, measurements and time for your questions.
2
ProcedurePlanned from the measurements taken at your consultation.
3
Follow-upReview visits at set intervals, with written instructions.
At your consultation
What is discussed before any procedure.
- You meet the operating surgeon before the day of the procedure.
- The lens or treatment plan is discussed in relation to your eye and your daily needs.
- Risks, benefits and alternatives are explained, and results vary from person to person.
- You are told whom to contact after the procedure and when your reviews are due.
Dr. P. Siva Reddy Eye Hospital
Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad. Established 1975.
Surgeon: Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy, MBBS, DO, DNB (Ophthalmology). Registered with the Telangana State Medical Council, Reg. No. 57104.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What age does presbyopia start, and why me?
Usually the early-to-mid forties, and it keeps changing into the sixties. It happens to everyone, even people who have never needed glasses in their life. It is not a disease and not a sign that anything is wrong, just the eye's natural lens becoming less flexible with age.
Can presbyopia be cured or reversed?
The natural stiffening of the lens cannot be reversed. Near vision can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses, or with lens-based surgery that provides a wider range of focus. 'Corrected' rather than 'cured' is the accurate word.
Do I have to wear reading glasses for the rest of my life?
Not necessarily. Many people reduce or remove the need with multifocal contact lenses, or with presbyopia-correcting lens implants, often chosen when a cataract is also starting. What is realistic for your particular eyes is explained at the consultation. Results vary from person to person.
What are presbyopia-correcting (multifocal) lens implants?
They are lenses that replace the eye's own lens and are designed to give a range of vision, near, intermediate and distance, so you depend far less on glasses. They are most often chosen at the time of cataract surgery, so one procedure addresses both. We explain the trade-offs, including night-time glare, openly. See our cataract page for how the lens choice works.
Is presbyopia the same as a cataract?
No, but they affect the same lens at different stages. Presbyopia is the lens stiffening, so near focus fades; a cataract is the same lens clouding, so vision dims. Many people develop both, which is exactly why the timing of treatment matters and why we look at the whole picture.
What does presbyopia correction cost?
It depends entirely on the route you choose, from simple glasses to lens-based surgery, which the doctor explains once your eyes have been examined and your daily vision needs understood. A written estimate is given after the consultation. You can contact the hospital on WhatsApp or by phone.
How do I book?
Book on WhatsApp or by phone, and bring your current glasses and any recent prescription so we can see where you are starting from.
Medically reviewed by Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy, MBBS, DO, DNB (Ophthalmology). Registered with the Telangana State Medical Council, Reg. No. 57104. Last reviewed 25 June 2026.
Appointments and contact
You can reach Dr. P. Siva Reddy Eye Hospital on WhatsApp or by phone during OPD hours.
OPD hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 2 PM and 4:30 PM to 7 PM. Closed on Sunday.