Question map
Presbyopia is a visual defect caused by
Explanation
Presbyopia is an age-related visual defect characterized by the progressive loss of the eye's ability to focus on nearby objects. This condition primarily arises due to two physiological changes: the gradual weakening of the ciliary muscles and the diminishing flexibility or hardening of the crystalline lens [2]. In a healthy eye, the ciliary muscles contract to increase the lens's curvature for near vision [1]. However, as the eye ages, the lens loses its elasticity and becomes stiffer, while the ciliary muscles may experience a reduction in contractile power. This combined effect reduces the eye's accommodative amplitude, making it difficult to focus light from close objects onto the retina. Unlike myopia, which involves eyeball elongation, or hypermetropia, presbyopia is specifically linked to these age-related structural alterations in the lens and its supporting muscular apparatus [2].
Sources
- [2] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: The Human Eye and the Colourful World > Figure 10.3 > p. 164
- [1] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: The Human Eye and the Colourful World > 10.1.1 Power of Accommodation > p. 162