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2012 Rapport focuses on presbyopia, a universal, unavoidable age-related handicap
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PARIS — Presbyopia was the topic of this year’s French Society of Ophthalmology Rapport, coordinated by Béatrice Cochener, MD.
“Presbyopia is the most universal and unavoidable handicap, with a considerable impact on the professional and personal life of people,” Dominique Lebuisson, MD, said during the presentation of the report at the society’s annual meeting.
In 2020, more than half of the French population will be presbyopic. Social changes have greatly increased the number of people who are involved in activities that require good eyesight after the age of 45 years. Many of them are women, who are now highly represented in all professions.
“Because of the longer life expectancy and the more active life that people lead at all ages, vision correction is needed for a very long span of time by an increasing number of people,” Dr. Lebuisson said.
Spectacles are an effective, no-risk way of correcting presbyopia. But they are perceived as a sign of age, so they are not well accepted by many people today.
“They also represent an enormous cost, if we take into account how many people use them and change them regularly as presbyopia progresses,” Dr. Lebuisson noted.
Contact lenses now offer multifocal options or can be used for monovision, but they work for only a limited stage of the presbyopic age, he said.
“The need for a safe, effective technique of presbyopia correction is great and urgent and will be increasing in future years,” he said.