Effectiveness of a physical therapy program on visual acuity and ocular condition in patients with presbyopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2077-6594/2026.2/23Keywords:
presbyopia, visual acuity, reading correction, intraocular pressure, peripheral vision status, physical therapy, women, vision correctionAbstract
Purpose: to study and evaluate the changes of intraocular pressure, visual acuity, peripheral vision and the state of the fundus of patients with presbyopia under the influence of the use of a physical therapy program. Material and methods. The study included 48 female patients diagnosed with presbyopia, aged 40 to 52 years. The average age of patients in the main group was 46.3 ± 0.35 years, while in the control group it was 47.6 ± 0.61 years. Patients in the main group were given a differentiated comprehensive physical therapy program for patients with presbyopia; patients in the control group were engaged in a physical therapy program for patients with general visual impairments according to the W. H. Bates method, kinesitherapy, and independent exercises. Results. Following the implementation of the physical therapy program, positive changes were observed in the main group (MG) women’s indicators: OS visual acuity increased from 0.83 ± 0.03 diopters to 0.98 ± 0.01 diopters, and OD from 0.81 ± 0.06 diopters to 0.93 ± 0.03 diopters; reading correction, determined by the lens selection method, decreased from OS 1.65 ± 1.18 diopters to 0.86 ± 0.15 diopters, and OD from 1.54 ± 0.25 diopters to 0.87 ± 0.19 diopters. The correlation between the visual acuity of both eyes (r = 0.79; p < 0.05) and the correction parameters (r = 0.82; p < 0.05) demonstrates the symmetry of the functional recovery of visual analyzer sensitivity resulting from the implemented physical therapy interventions. Conclusions. The study examined the effectiveness of physical therapy for patients with presbyopia and concluded that the developed and implemented physical therapy program is effective and helps improve visual acuity in presbyopia, reduce clinical symptoms, and enhance the function of key body systems. Our research demonstrates the need for more widespread use of physical therapy, including therapeutic exercises, breathing exercises, corrective exercises, and specific exercises for the oculomotor and ciliary muscles.
References
Бандуріна К. Застосування засобів фізичної терапії при міопії у людей, які ведуть переважно малорухливий спосіб життя. Фіз. реабілітація та рекреаційно-оздоровчі технології. 2022;7(1):3–6. https://doi.org/10.15391/prrht.2022-7.01
Wolffsohn JS, Davies LN. Presbyopia: effectiveness of correction strategies. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2019;68:124–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2018.09.004
Wolffsohn JS, Davies LN, Sheppard AL. New insights in presbyopia: impact of correction strategies. BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2023;8(1):e001122. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjophth-2022-001122
Kollbaum PS, Bradley A. Correction of presbyopia: old problems with old (and new) solutions. Clin Exp Optom. 2020;103(1):21–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12987
Mercer RN, Milliken CM, Waring GO 4th, Rocha KM. Future trends in presbyopia correction. J Refract Surg. 2021;37(S1):S28–S34. https://doi.org/10.3928/1081597X-20210408-06
Lan Q, Liu Y, Xu F, Li M, Li Y, Yang T, et al. Cost-effectiveness of presbyopia correction among seven strategies of bilateral cataract surgery based on a prospective single-blind two-center trial in China. Ophthalmol Ther. 2022;11(6):2067–2082. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-022-00562-3
Bianchi T, Bellen R. Immediate effects of eye yogic exercises on morphoscopic visual acuity. Yoga Mimamsa. 2020;52(1):5–11. https://doi.org/10.4103/ym.ym_5_20
Frick KD, Joy SM, Wilson DA, Naidoo KS, Holden BA. The global burden of potential productivity loss from uncorrected presbyopia. Ophthalmology. 2015;122(8):1706–1710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2015.04.014
Price FW Jr, Hom M, Moshirfar M, Evans D, Liu H, Penzner J, et al. Combinations of pilocarpine and oxymetazoline for the pharmacological treatment of presbyopia: two randomized phase 2 studies. Ophthalmol Sci. 2021;1(4):100065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xops.2021.100065
Малачкова НВ, Прус ЄЛ, Радьога КМ. Клінічний досвід використання N-ацетилкарнозину у пацієнтів із віковою катарактою. Архів офтальмології України. 2020;8(2):38–43. https://doi.org/10.22141/2309-8147.8.2.2020.209919
Pašalić A. Presbyopia treatment by lens surgery versus Laser in situ keratomileusis [doctoral dissertation]. Zagreb: Medicinski fakultet u Zagrebu; 2020 [cited 2026 Jun 12]. Available from: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:105:667565
Katz JA, Karpecki PM, Dorca A, Chiva-Razavi S, Floyd H, Barnes E, et al. Presbyopia – a review of current treatment options and emerging therapies. Clin Ophthalmol. 2021;15:2167–2178. https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S259011
Zhu Y, Zhong Y, Fu Y. The effects of premium intraocular lenses on presbyopia treatments. Adv Ophthalmol Pract Res. 2022;2(1):100042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aopr.2022.100042
Bates WH. The Bates Method for Good Sight without Glasses [Internet]. London: Faber & Faber Ltd.; 1944 [cited 2026 Jun 12]. 143 p. Available from: https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20201033.
Lord SR, Dayhew J, Howland A. Multifocal glasses impair edge-contrast sensitivity and depth perception and increase the risk of falls in older people. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2002;50(11):1760–1766. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50502.x
Charman WN. Developments in the correction of presbyopia I: spectacle and contact lenses. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2014;34(1):8–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12091
Abdelkader A. Improved presbyopic vision with miotics. Eye Contact Lens. 2015;41(5):323–327. https://doi.org/10.1097/icl.0000000000000137
Orman B, Benozzi G. Pharmacological strategies for treating presbyopia. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2021;32(4):319–323. https://doi.org/10.1097/ICU.0000000000000770
Davidson RS, Dhaliwal D, Hamilton DR, Jackson M, Patterson L, Stonecipher K, et al. Surgical correction of presbyopia. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2016;42(6):920–930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrs.2016.05.003
Seyeddain O, Riha W, Hohensinn M, Nix G, Dexl AK, Grabner G. Refractive surgical correction of presbyopia with the AcuFocus small aperture corneal inlay: two-year follow-up. J Refract Surg. 2010;26(10):707–715. https://doi.org/10.3928/1081597X-20100408-01
Hipsley A, Hall B, Rocha KM. Scleral surgery for the treatment of presbyopia: where are we today? Eye Vis (Lond). 2018;5:4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40662-018-0098-x
Liu YC, Hall B, Lwin NC, Teo EP, Yam GH, Hipsley A, et al. Tissue responses and wound healing following laser scleral microporation for presbyopia therapy. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2020;9(4):6. https://doi.org/10.1167/tvst.9.4.6
Sieburth R, Chen M. Intraocular lens correction of presbyopia. Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2019;9(1):4–17. https://doi.org/10.4103/tjo.tjo_136_18
Schallhorn JM, Pantanelli SM, Lin CC, Al-Mohtaseb ZN, Steigleman WA 3rd, Santhiago MR, et al. Multifocal and accommodating intraocular lenses for the treatment of presbyopia: a report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(10):1469–1482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2021.03.013
Telandro A. Pseudo-accommodative cornea: a new concept for correction of presbyopia. J Refract Surg. 2004;20(5 Suppl): S714–S717. https://doi.org/10.3928/1081-597X-20040903-17
Remon L, Pérez-Merino P, Macedo-de-Araujo RJ, Amorim-de-Sousa AI, González-Méijome JM. Bifocal and multifocal contact lenses for presbyopia and myopia control. J Ophthalmol. 2020:8067657. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8067657
Bennett ES. Contact lens correction of presbyopia. Clin Exp Optom. 2008;91(3):265–278. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1444-0938.2007.00242.x
Corbett M, Maycock N, Rosen E, O’Brart D. Refractive Laser Surgery. In: Corneal Topography: Principles and Applications. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2019. P. 235–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10696-6
Autar R, Kumar A. Analysis of dual phase-lag heat conduction in the cornea subjected to laser irradiation. J Mech Sci Technol. 2023;37(1):387–393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-1237-9
Gopinathan G, Dhiman KS, Manjusha R. A clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of Trataka Yoga Kriya and eye exercises (non-pharmacological methods) in the management of Timira (Ametropia and Presbyopia). AYU. 2012;33(4):543–546. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8520.110534
McLeod RD. Model for hyperopia, myopia, and presbyopia, with suggested therapeutic remedies. In: OSA Annual Meeting; 1986 Oct 19; Seattle, WA. Washington (DC): Optica Publishing Group; 1986. p. TUT6. https://doi.org/10.1364/OAM.1986.TUT6
Tsuneyoshi Y, Negishi K, Tsubota K. Multifaceted assessment of the effects of an eye exercise for presbyopia. Rejuvenation Res. 2021;24(6):417–423. https://doi.org/10.1089/rej.2021.0011
