Introduction
Seeing older myopic patients [older than 50 years] for the first time I often find the glasses that they are wearing to be over-minus by as much as -1.50 dioptres. This prompted me to find an explanation for this trend. Is it a case of a poor refraction or are we seeing a reduction in myopia since their previous visual examination? Furthermore, I have experienced a +1,25 shift in my own refractive error during my presbyopic years and hence this article.
Studying the literature, I found several studies reporting a decline in the prevalence of myopia in older adults. As far back as the 1980s and 1990s several studies in the USA reported on this phenomenon and it is therefore surprising to find a significant number of optometrists acknowledging to me that they are unaware of this. The obvious question is: why is this happening? Trying to find an answer to this showed that several studies reporting on age related changes in myopia during the presbyopic years produced contradictory results. It is important to identify and understand the potential factors underlying these changes, particularly if they relate to pathological causes, to allow us to understand the future health care needs of our aging population.
Article Myopia in Presbyopia. Download and view here: Article Myopia in Presbyopia