Do Women Need Bifocals Sooner than Men?

Indiana Optometrist Dr. Stephen Buck shared research on why women need bifocals for correcting near vision focusing problems and presbyopia sooner than men. “Research in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (IOVS) was quite consistent with what have observed clinically for many years,” said Dr. Buck. “The study found that women tend to need bifocals sooner to correct their near vision and the onset of presbyopia-the age related near vision focusing problem. While men and women both will need bifocals as they age, the need is more common and somewhat earlier among women than men.”

It is believed that while men and women appeared to actually have the same focusing ability when looking at nearby objects, because women are generally shorter than the men, with proportionally shorter arm lengths, they needed to hold objects closer to their faces when reading and thus required the near vision presbyopia correction of bifocals, reading glasses or even bifocal contact lenses sooner.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about near vision focusing problems, presbyopia or bifocals please schedule and eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center by calling 219-464-8223, or visiting Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.