Why Do Women Need Bifocals Sooner?

“Women often puzzled by why it seems that they need bifocals or reading glasses before men they know of the same age,” remarked Andreas Wolter, M.D., a NY Ophthalmologist at Seeta Eye Centers. Recent research reported in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (IOVS) 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. The studies show that presbyopia, the inability to see at a close distance that occurs with age, is more common in women. While men and women need bifocals as they age, the need is more common among women and tends to hit them at younger ages 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.

Patients who wish to learn more about near vision focusing problems, presbyopia, bifocals or reading glasses should feel free to call Seeta Eye Centers and schedule an eye examination by calling 845-454-1025, visiting Seeta Eye Centers or facebook.com/seetaeyecenters.

Seeta Eye Centersis conveniently located at 23 Davis Avenue Poughkeepsie, New York 12524 and 664 Stoneleigh Avenue,Suite 100, Carmel, New York 10512 for patients from Westchester County, Rockland County and throughout the Hudson Valley, Dutchess County and Orange County.