Eye Concerns Every Senior Should Be Aware Of
While many great changes occur in your senior years, such as being retired (or looking forward to it) and maybe even getting to enjoy grandchildren, some changes aren’t so great. One of them is that you face new risks to your vision.
The American Optometric Association recommends yearly eye exams for adults over 60. This is because your eyes can often dramatically worsen in a relatively short period of time. People who have diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes, are at especially high risk of developing serious concerns with their vision.
Protect your eyesight with regular eye exams. The providers at Eye Q Optique explain more about the changes to your eyes that you should be aware of.
Problems with your eyes as you age
Unfortunately, our bodies begin to decline at some point, although when this happens is highly individual. Still, we know that although younger people can also develop vision problems, they’re much more likely to occur in seniors. Here are some of the most common changes to watch out for.
Dry eyes
In general, our eyes start to become drier after age 40. By the time you’re 65 or older, most adults have some degree of dry eye. It may feel like you have something gritty in your eyes, such as a grain of sand. Your tear ducts don’t produce as many tears, which lubricates your eyes and keeps them feeling healthy.
You can use eye drops available over the counter or get a prescription for eye drops. If you work on computers, this problem is especially likely to occur.
Macular degeneration
Macular degeneration affects more than 10 million Americans, most of whom are seniors. This condition occurs when the macula (the center of your retina) becomes damaged, resulting in blurry or wavy vision. There’s no known cure for it, but you can slow down the rate of progression by exercising, maintaining a healthy diet, and avoiding smoking.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a condition that affects many people as they get older. This disease affects the optic nerve inside your eyes. Pressure builds up in the eye, which can lead to eventually losing your sight altogether if it’s not caught early. Because glaucoma is often painless in the early stages, the only way you may know that you have it is to get regular eye exams.
Diabetic retinopathy
If you have diabetes, you may already know that it increases your risk of experiencing other health problems, too. One is called diabetic retinopathy. Whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, you still face this risk. The condition is caused by excess sugar damaging your retinas.
It’s crucial to strive to control your blood sugar as well as you can. You also need to have a relationship with an eye doctor who can track changes to your eyes as they occur.
Cataracts
Cataracts are a condition in which your vision gets extremely cloudy. In a healthy eye, the lens of your eye is like a camera lens, reflecting everything you see. In the case of your eyes, images are reflected off the retina. With cataracts, the lens of your eye becomes damaged.
Symptoms of cataracts include the following:
Blurry vision
Difficulty driving at night and in other low-light situations
Colors appear dull
Increased sensitivity to glare
We need to regularly test your eyes to determine whether or not you’re developing cataracts. Sometimes, the cataracts only block part of your vision. However, other times they block your vision so significantly that we have to do surgery to replace the lens of your eye.
If you’re a senior, you want to be able to see so you can enjoy what may be some of the best years of your life. Contact the providers at Eye Q Optique to make an appointment at the location nearest you or request an appointment online.