ABSTRACT
A. INTRODUCTION To the eye-care practitioner, the importance of presbyopia as a major concern need not be emphasized. Currently, in the United States alone, 35% of the population of 278 million (1) is presbyopic and therefore requires some form of optical aid for near vision. Further, the number of presbyopes is increasing. Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau predict that over the next decade, the number of people over 45 years of age will increase by approximately 21 million, but the population under 45 years will remain relatively unchanged.* This trend for an increasing representation of the over-45 age group in the popula-
tion is occurring throughout the developed countries. Therefore, increasing emphasis will be placed on the provision of near vision aids to this sector of the world’s population.
