Does everyone need glasses at some point in their life?

Supercell

I'm lucky to have 20:20 vision or better when I was last tested for my driving license a few years ago.

Now, I'm 38 and my friends over 40 all wear glasses and say its natural, that every one beyond a certain age..some time near 40!, will need glasses!
Whats worse is they say it comes on pretty fast rather than a slow blurring over time.

I'm rather concerned, am i about to suddenly wake up one morning and find it harder to focus on the screen in front of me?
I work in IT and stare at a computer screen and more often than not come home and do the same.

I have blue eyes (if that makes any difference).

Are glasses inevitable and is there anything I can do to keep my eyes focusing normally while they still can?

whizbang

The problem is caused by the lens in the eye getting less flexible as it ages. The lens is what focuses near and far vision, so you may still have 20/20 or better, but your lens wont be flexible enough to be able to focus close up objects, ie reeadiingg....!

if anyone can cure this one, you got it made!
:cool:

Porkpie

Yes, everyone will, although there are plenty of people that don't wear glasses in their 40's. I'd say it's definitely more likely in your 50's and inevitable once you reach the 60's.

Then you have hearing loss, incontinence, arthritis etc. to worry about. Can't wait!

Squiggle

My optician told me that near vision can deteriorate any time after 40. It's usually gradual and you find yourself holding menus or newspapers further away to be able to read them, or if you already have glasses for distance you might find yourself taking them off for close up work. So it looks like it will be varifocals for me at some stage.

limericklassy

And even if you get laser to get rid of the glasses, once you get older you will need them for reading, so i was told.

rache12

yep yep all very true - its something called presbyopia, occurs in everyone over 40. Heres the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia

endplate

People that are short sighted get away longer without needing reading glasses then long sighted or normal vision people. They can simply remove their glasses to see near objects like print. But they are usually wearing glasses anyway. But yeah we will all need reading glasses at some point later in our lives. And laser cannot remove this