Final answer:
Individuals over the age of 55 often need reading glasses due to presbyopia, a condition where the eye's lens loses elasticity and the corresponding muscles weaken, affecting the ability to focus on close objects. LASIK surgery, while correcting distant vision, does not address presbyopia, so reading glasses may still be necessary.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason why people over 55 often need reading glasses is primarily due to a condition known as presbyopia. This condition is associated with aging and results in the eye gradually losing its ability to focus on close objects. The underlying cause of presbyopia is thought to be because the eye's lens may become less elastic with age, and the muscles that control the lens may become weaker.
When answering the question of whether someone who has presbyopia and gets their distant vision corrected with LASIK will still need reading glasses, the answer is yes, they likely will. LASIK surgery corrects the shape of the cornea, which improves distant vision, but it does not cure presbyopia, which is related to the lens's flexibility and the eye muscles.
Regarding the dissatisfaction from stopping the use of contact lenses, dry eyes and difficulty in handling them are commonly cited reasons for older individuals to switch to glasses instead. Reduced eye dominance and blurred vision can also be contributing factors. In the case of the blurred vision, it could be due to presbyopia or other refractive errors that are not well-corrected by the contact lenses anymore.