Final answer:
Individuals over 55 often need reading glasses due to presbyopia, a condition where the eye's lens loses elasticity and the ability to focus on close objects, requiring the use of corrective lenses to add power for close vision.
Step-by-step explanation:
People over 55 often need reading glasses due to a common vision problem associated with aging called presbyopia. Presbyopia is characterized by the eye gradually losing its ability to focus on close objects. The primary reason for this is that the lens of the eye no longer focuses correctly because it may become less elastic with age, and the muscles controlling the lens might lose their strength. This reduction in the eye's ability to accommodate, or change focus from distant to near objects, necessitates the use of corrective lenses. These corrective lenses are often converging lenses that add power for close vision, aiding in focusing on small text and objects that are near to the viewer.
Even if a person's distant vision is corrected with procedures like LASIK, they may still require reading glasses for close work. This is because LASIK surgery corrects the shape of the cornea for distance vision but does not restore the elasticity of the lens required for near vision. Thus, while LASIK may eliminate the need for distance glasses, reading glasses might still be necessary for presbyopia.