Presbyopia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A visual condition related to aging, wherein the lens becomes less flexible, making it challenging to focus on items that are near
2. An age-associated vision issue marked by reduced capacity to see nearby objects clearly as a result of lens rigidity
3. A condition of the eyes typically occurring with age, characterized by the loss of clear vision for close objects due to the hardening of the lens

Etymology: Presbyopia names a very ordinary failing, the gradual loss of ability to focus on close objects that most people notice somewhere in their forties, yet its name is built from a Greek word for "old man." The first part comes from "présbus," meaning "old man," and the second from "ṓps," meaning "eye," with the New Latin suffix "-opia" marking a vision condition. Put together, the term literally describes an old man's eye, and it was assembled in New Latin from Greek parts rather than inherited from any classical text. The word is a modern coinage, so no ancient Greek physician used it to describe the stiffening lens that makes reading glasses necessary. Its parts simply reflect the Greek vocabulary that scientists have long drawn on to name medical conditions. The "-opia" ending appears in other eye terms, such as myopia, which likewise pairs a Greek word for an eye condition with a descriptive first element.

Synonyms: farsightedness