Question

The elasticity of the lens decreases with age. This leads to which of the following?

A) less light getting to the retina and diminished visual acuity

B) lowered accommodation of the pupillary reflex and blurry vision

C) a clouding of the lenses known as a cataract

D) less accommodation of the lenses and difficulty focusing on nearby objects

Answer 1

The decrease in lens elasticity with age leads to presbyopia, characterized by the difficulty in focusing on close objects due to the image focusing behind the retina. Corrective lenses are needed to assist in focusing light on the retina. The correct option is D) less accommodation of the lenses and difficulty focusing on nearby objects

Step-by-step explanation:

The decrease in the elasticity of the lens with age leads to a condition called presbyopia, which results in difficulty focusing on nearby objects due to less accommodation of the lenses. This condition occurs because the image is focused behind the retina, as the lens loses its ability to change shape easily.

Corrective lenses such as reading glasses are typically used to help focus light more effectively on the retina for those experiencing presbyopia, and this is why people over the age of 55 often need reading glasses.

Hyperopia is a similar condition to presbyopia but is typically due to the eyeball being too short, while presbyopia is caused by the lens losing its flexibility with age. The correct option is D) less accommodation of the lenses and difficulty focusing on nearby objects