Certified Ophthalmic Assistant Practice Exam

What visual impairment is usually associated with aging and affects close vision?

1. Cataracts

2. Presbyopia

3. Myopia

4. Hyperopia

The correct answer is: Presbyopia

The correct answer is presbyopia, which is a common visual impairment typically encountered as individuals age. It is characterized by a gradual loss of the eye's ability to focus on nearby objects. This condition arises from the natural hardening of the lens inside the eye, which reduces its flexibility—a crucial factor for accommodating different focal distances, especially for close vision tasks like reading or sewing. As people get older, presbyopia becomes more pronounced, leading to challenges in performing activities that require near vision. This is a normal part of the aging process and affects nearly everyone to some extent, typically becoming noticeable in individuals around the age of 40. In contrast, cataracts, myopia, and hyperopia have different implications. Cataracts involve clouding of the lens, leading to blurred vision overall, but they are not specifically related to close vision impairment. Myopia, or nearsightedness, primarily affects distance vision, making it difficult to see far away objects clearly. Hyperopia, or farsightedness, affects the ability to see close objects clearly, but this condition does not significantly increase with age in the same way presbyopia does. Thus, presbyopia is the most accurate answer for a visual impairment specifically associated with aging that affects