Reading vision after 40 · Melrose Arch, Johannesburg
The menu moved.
Almost everybody notices it the same way. The phone goes a little further out. The restaurant is darker than it used to be. Small print on a contract needs better light and a longer arm. It usually starts somewhere in the mid-forties, and it is the single most common reason people come back to an optometrist after years away.
What is actually happening
The lens inside the eye changes focus by changing shape. Over time it becomes gradually less flexible, and the range it can pull into focus up close shortens. The clinical name is presbyopia. It is a normal part of ageing rather than a disease, it happens to everyone eventually, and it is not caused by reading in poor light or by wearing glasses.
Two things are worth saying plainly. The first is that it keeps changing for a while, which is why a pair that was perfect two years ago may not be now. The second is that difficulty with near work is not always presbyopia — it can have other causes, and an examination is what tells the difference. That is the argument for being examined rather than buying a pair off a rack and hoping.
The options, and what they are for
Reading lenses
A single prescription, set for close work. They do exactly one thing and do it well, which is why they suit reading in a chair and are a nuisance for anything else — look up and the room is soft. Worth having as a second pair rather than as the only pair.
Multifocal lenses
Sometimes called progressives, or varifocals. Distance through the top, intermediate through the middle, near through the bottom, with no visible line. First multifocals commonly take a week or two to settle into, occasionally longer, and how well they work depends heavily on the measurements and on how the lens sits in the frame — which is why the frame is chosen after the prescription is known, not before.
Occupational lenses
Sometimes called office or computer lenses. Optimised for the range you actually work in — screen, desk, the person across the table — rather than for driving. If most of your day is spent between arm's length and the far wall, these are usually more comfortable than general-purpose multifocals for that specific job.
Multifocal contact lenses
Contact lenses are made in multifocal designs too, and they suit some people and not others. It is worth trying rather than assuming, and it needs a proper fitting and an instruction session rather than an over-the-counter guess.
Optik partners with trusted specialist optical laboratories for lens manufacturing, while our team manages the measurements, lens selection, frame assessment and final quality check.
Why the hour matters here
Multifocals are the lens people most often give up on, and when that happens it is usually not the lens design. It is a prescription taken in a hurry, measurements taken carelessly, or a frame that cannot hold the lens where the eye needs it. None of those are difficult to get right. They just take unhurried time, which is what the hour is for.
An examination at Optik is booked for a full hour, and frames are chosen afterwards with the prescription already known. We work with all medical aids. Terms and conditions apply.