What visual condition is characterized by the inability to focus on nearby objects?

The visual condition characterized by the inability to focus on nearby objects is presbyopia. This condition typically arises as a natural part of aging and involves the gradual loss of the eye's ability to change focus from distant to near objects, largely due to the hardening of the lens and the weakening of the ciliary muscles that control lens shape.

As a person ages, the lens becomes less flexible, making it difficult to accommodate for near vision tasks, such as reading or sewing. This is why individuals with presbyopia might find themselves needing reading glasses or bifocals to correct their vision for close-up tasks.

Other options involve different visual issues: myopia is the inability to see distant objects clearly; astigmatism is caused by an irregular shape of the cornea or lens, leading to blurred vision at any distance; and hyperopia refers to the difficulty focusing on close objects but does not necessarily present the same age-related loss of near vision as presbyopia, since it is more related to the eye's shape or refractive errors. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify why presbyopia specifically relates to near vision difficulties, particularly as individuals age.