The opticians weren't deceiving you. As we age our natural lens loses its pliability and we're no longer able to accommodate enough to read things that are up c

The opticians weren't deceiving you. As we age our natural lens loses its pliability and we're no longer able to accommodate enough to read things that are up close. It's helpful to understanding the eyes' ability to focus distance (plano or flat) light and its ability to focus near (diverging light) as independent processes. The change in astigmatism they noted is likely related to changes in your natural lens caused by the same process.