Sensorium
Seen Differently

All patterns

Close-up blur

The menu was fine last year. Now your arms aren't long enough.

Typical visionWith close-up blur
Age 49: close-up text blurs as the eye's lens loses its focusing range, while distant things stay sharp.

Try

Try it

When is the eye appointment, and how many tablets go in each dose?

What's happening

Presbyopia is the lens inside the eye slowly losing its ability to change shape. Close focus fades from the early forties, so phones, menus and labels blur while anything further away stays sharp. It happens to everyone, and it is fully correctable with reading glasses, varifocals or contact lenses.

This simulation is for understanding and empathy. It is not a diagnosis and doesn't replace an eye examination.

What you might notice

Arms too short

You hold the phone further and further away to read it.

Worse in dim light

Menus in restaurants and labels in the evening are the hardest.

Tired eyes

Reading for a while brings eye strain and headaches.

Distance stays sharp

Road signs and faces across the room look the same as ever.

Where it gets hard

  • Reading medicine labels and doses.
  • Using a phone, a card reader or a cash machine.
  • Menus, price tags and small print on forms.
  • Threading a needle or fine hobby work.

Often caused by

Conditions commonly linked to this pattern.

  • Normal ageing of the lens, from about 40
  • Earlier onset with long-sightedness (hyperopia)
  • Some medicines, such as certain antihistamines and antidepressants, can make close focus harder

Treatment and support

Reading glasses are the simplest fix, and varifocal or bifocal lenses combine near and distance correction. Multifocal contact lenses and, for some people, lens surgery are other options. An eye test is worth it anyway: it checks for glaucoma and other silent conditions at the age presbyopia starts.

Looking for research you could join? Search ClinicalTrials.gov or the EU Clinical Trials register.

How to help someone with sight loss

  • Say who you are when you approach, and tell them when you leave.
  • Offer your arm rather than pushing or pulling, and mention steps and kerbs.
  • Use large, high-contrast print and good light, and read labels and doses aloud if asked.
  • Don't move their things without saying: a moved cup or key is a lost one.

Get checked the same day if

Close-up blur comes on suddenly, affects only one eye, or comes with pain, a red eye or distortion. That is not presbyopia and needs checking.

If it's sudden or comes with other symptoms, go to an emergency department.

Where to learn more