- With Mayo Clinic emeritus ophthalmologist
Dennis Robertson, M.D.
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Dennis Robertson, M.D.
Dennis Robertson, M.D.
Dennis M. Robertson was born in South St. Paul, Minn., and grew up in a musical family on the Mississippi River. He completed his undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Minnesota, where he received a B.A., B.S. and M.D.
Following an internship at San Bernardino County Hospital in California, he worked for two years on Indian reservations under the umbrella of the United States Public Health Service. He later completed a residency in ophthalmology at Mayo Clinic and pursued postgraduate fellowship training in vitreoretinal disorders at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. He returned to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in 1967.
His studies included a sabbatical during 1987 and 1988 at Moorfields and St. Bartholomew’s hospitals in London. His scientific interests have been chiefly in disorders of the retina and vitreous and ocular oncology. In 1999, he became the recipient of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Professorship.
He retired from full time clinical practice in July 2004. In August 2005, he returned to work part-time at the Mayo Clinic until retiring again in December 2007.
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Question
Presbyopia: A cause of blurred distance vision?
As I get older, it takes longer for my eyes to adjust when I change focus on close-up work and look into the distance. I notice for a short while that distant objects appear blurry. What causes this?
Answer
from Dennis Robertson, M.D.
The focusing problem you describe may be an early symptom of presbyopia, an age-related change in vision. Presbyopia is not the same as farsightedness. In presbyopia, your eyes gradually lose the ability to adjust to see objects clearly at different distances. Although the most common presbyopic symptom is blurry close-up vision, you may also experience blurred distance vision when changing your focus from near to far objects.
If you're experiencing this problem after prolonged close-up work, such as reading or working at a computer, try resting your eyes every 10 to 20 minutes by closing them for 20 to 30 seconds. This may help minimize the symptoms. If you don't normally wear prescription glasses, you may consider getting a pair of nonprescription reading glasses that can be used for close-up work.
If you're concerned about these vision changes, make an appointment with your eye doctor. An eye exam can identify potential eye or vision problems that may require further evaluation and treatment.
- Mian SI, et al. Visual impairment in adults: Refractive disorders and presbyopia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2011.
- Robertson DM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 28, 2011.
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