Comparison of Two-year Changes in Refractive Error according to Type of Presbyopia Corrective Glasses

Purpose : This study was conducted to investigate two-year the changes in refractive errors and reading addition after wearing glasses for presbyopia correction. Methods : The subjects aged 40 to 70 years (N=400 eyes, 51.56±5.82 year, binocular visual acuity 16/20) who had no ophthalmologic diseases and did not undergo cataract or retina surgery and have no history of presbyopia correction. These subjects were subdivided into 3 groups: PAL (progressive additional lens), SAL (single additional lens) and control (no near correction) group as the subject wishes for presbyopia correction, refractive errors and reading addition were measured at their visit at baseline and after two years. Results : In the myopes, emmetropes and hyperopes, as age increased, the refractive errors increased in the positive (+) direction and shows tendency toward hyperoptic shift (r=0.435, p<0.001), and reading additions also increased (r=0.893, p<0.001). After two-year of wearing presbyopia correction glasses, the changes of refractive errors in the PAL, SAL and control group were 0.10±0.33, 0.15±0.17, 0.19±0.81 D that PAL group showed the least progression of refractive error (p<0.001). In the comparing the amount of change in refractive errors among the refractive error groups, hyperopes showed the largest and the emmetropes showed the smallest progression (all, p<0.001). After two-year of wearing glasses for presbyopia correction, the changes of reading addition in the PAL, SAL and control group were 0.19±1.13, 0.24±0.15, 0.28±0.10 D that PAL group showed the least increment of reading addition highest in the control group (p<0.001). Conclusion : In the middle and elderly people with presbyopia, as they age, the refractive power progresses to hyperopic shift and reading addition is increased, and correction for presbyopia with PAL could retardate the progression of hyperopic shift and reading addition increment.