Working mothers suffer from vision impairment as they age

Sep 8 2009

For working mothers -- the ultimate multitaskers -- seeing clearly is essential to getting the job done. Yet, new research reveals that as they age, changes in their vision are impacting the ability of most moms to perform everyday activities at home and on the job.

Nearly nine-in-ten (86%) women over the age of 35 are concerned that their vision is getting worse as they age, and 74% say they have problems with near vision, according to a survey conducted by Walker Communications for Working Mother Magazine and ACUVUE(R) OASYS(TM) Brand Contact Lenses for PRESBYOPIA.

Nearly half (46%) say that having good near vision is most important to get them through their daily activities, but cite problems with everyday tasks such as reading (66%), working on a computer (63%), using a cell phone/PDA (49%), seeing things in low light (45%), or trying to read a menu (44%). Nearly three-in-ten (27%) working mothers who participated in the survey agree that problems with near vision bothers them most while multitasking at work.

"Visual challenges with near-point tasks are signs and symptoms of presbyopia, a common vision condition in which the natural lens of the eye gradually loses flexibility, making it difficult to focus on close objects and to switch focus between close and far objects," explains Susan Resnick, O.D. "Everyone will experience presbyopia to some extent in their lifetime."

Currently, an estimated 90 million people in the United States have presbyopia or will develop it by 2014. Presbyopia generally develops in the late thirties or early forties. Survey participants say they started experiencing problems with near vision on average at 36 years of age.

Contact lens wearers face additional challenges, according to Dr. Resnick. "As they get older, besides struggling with their vision, many contact lens wearers also cite problems with dryness and discomfort and consider abandoning contact lens wear despite a strong desire to continue wearing them," she says. "Fortunately, these women now can stay in contact lenses longer with new ACUVUE(R) OASYS(TM) for PRESBYOPIA, which combines a proven comfortable material and innovative technologies with a moisture-rich wetting agent to offer clear and comfortable vision correction at all distances."

The inability to see clearly also has psychological and physiological effects on women. Participants note that vision problems make them feel frustrated (61%), old (50%), physically uncomfortable due to headaches and eye strain (47%), and less confident to perform activities (30%). Women who have switched from contacts to bifocal or progressive lens eyeglasses say they feel less attractive (26%), less confident (17%) and less able to perform certain activities as well as when they are wearing their contacts (14%).

Carol Evans, President of Working Mother Media, urges women not to let presbyopia disrupt their life at work or at home. "So many Working Mother readers rely on their computers and mobile devices for work. I always tell our readers to make time for 'you.' Now I want to tell working moms everywhere to make time to get a comprehensive eye exam and ask their eye care professional about new vision correction options, such as a new pair of glasses or contact lenses."