Click to open document as a PDF Aging
and Your Eyes Aunt Rose used to read all the time but lately she complains that the words are blurry and hard to follow. Grandpa Joe just hammered his thumb for the third time this month. Last week Nancy’s doctor suggested her mom needs cataract surgery. Age can bring
changes that affect your eyesight. But regular eye exams can help. With
early detection, many eye problems can be treated and your risk of vision
loss reduced. Five Steps to
Safeguard Your Eyesight $
Have regular physical
exams by your doctor to check for diseases like diabetes. Such diseases
can cause eye problems if not treated. $
Have a complete eye
exam with an eye care professional every 1 to 2 years. The eye care
professional should put drops in your eyes to enlarge (dilate) your
pupils. This is the only way to find some eye diseases, such as glaucoma,
that have no early signs or symptoms. The eye care professional should
check your eyesight, your glasses, and your eye muscles. $
Find out if you are at
high-risk for vision loss. Do you have a family history of diabetes or eye
disease? If so, you need to have a dilated eye exam every year. $
See an eye care
professional at once if you have any loss or dimness of eyesight, eye
pain, fluid coming from the eye, double vision, redness, or swelling of
your eye or eyelid. $
Wear sunglasses and a
hat with a wide brim when outside. This will protect your eyes from too
much sunlight, which can raise your risk of getting cataracts. Common Eye Complaints The following common eye complaints
often happen with age. In most cases, they can be treated easily.
Sometimes, they signal a more serious problem. $
Presbyopia (prez-bee-OH-pee-uh) is a slow loss of ability to see close
objects or small print. It is a normal process that happens as you get
older. Signs of presbyopia include holding your reading materials at
arm’s length or getting headaches or tired eyes when you read or do
other close work. Reading glasses can often fix the problem. $
Floaters are tiny spots or specks that seem to float across your eyes.
You might notice them in well-lit rooms or outdoors on a bright day.
Floaters can be normal. But sometimes they are a sign of a more serious
eye problem, such as retinal detachment. This often is the case if you see
light flashes along with floaters. If you notice a sudden change in the
type or number of spots or flashes, see your eye care professional right
away. $
Tearing (or having too many tears) can come from being sensitive to
light, wind, or temperature changes. Tearing also can come from having dry
eye. Protecting your eyes (by wearing sunglasses, for example) may solve
the problem. Sometimes, tearing may mean a more serious eye problem, such
as an infection or a blocked tear duct. Your eye care professional can
treat both of these conditions. $
Corneal
diseases and conditions can cause redness,
watery eyes, pain, reduced vision, or a halo effect. The cornea is the
clear, dome-shaped “window” at the front of the eye. It helps to focus
light that goes into the eye. Disease, infection, injury, toxic agents,
and other things can harm the cornea. Treatments include changing your
eyeglass prescription, using eye drops, or in severe cases, having
surgery, including corneal transplantation. Corneal transplantation is a
common treatment that works well and is safe. $
Eyelid problems can come from different diseases or conditions. Common eyelid
complaints include pain, itching, tearing, or being sensitive to light.
Eyelid problems often can be treated with medicine or surgery. $
Conjunctivitis (also called pink eye) happens when the tissue that lines the
eyelids and covers the cornea becomes inflamed. It can cause itching,
burning, tearing, or a feeling that something is in your eye.
Conjunctivitis can be due to allergies or an infection. Infectious pinkeye
can easily spread from one person to another. It is a common eye problem
that your eye care professional can treat. Eye Diseases and
Disorders
The following eye problems are common
with age. Often these can develop with few or no symptoms. Each can lead
to vision loss and blindness. Having regular eye exams
is the best way to protect yourself. If your eye care professional
finds a problem early, a lot can be done to keep your eyesight. $
Cataracts are cloudy areas in the eye’s lens. Normal lenses are clear
and let light through. Cataracts keep light from easily passing through
the lens. This causes loss of eyesight. Cataracts often form slowly
without any symptoms. Some stay small and don’t change eyesight very
much. Others may become large or thick and harm vision. Cataract surgery
can help. Your eye care professional can watch for changes in your
cataract over time to see if you need surgery. Cataract surgery is very
safe. It is one of the most common surgeries done in the United States. $
Dry eye happens when tear glands don’t work well. Dry eye can be
uncomfortable. It can cause itching, burning, or even some vision loss.
Your eye care professional may suggest using a home humidifier or special
eye drops (artificial tears). More serious cases of dry eye may need
surgery. $
Glaucoma comes from too much fluid pressure inside the eye. Over time,
the disease can damage the optic nerve. This leads to vision loss and
blindness. Loss of vision doesn’t happen until there has been a large
amount of nerve damage. Most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms
or pain from increased pressure. You can protect yourself by having
regular, dilated eye exams. Treatment may be prescription eye drops,
medicines you take by mouth, or surgery. $
Retinal
disorders are a leading cause of blindness in the United States. The
retina is a thin lining on the back of the eye. It is made up of cells
that get visual images and pass them on to the brain. Retinal disorders
that affect aging eyes include: o
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD affects the part of the retina (the macula) that gives
you sharp central vision. Over time, AMD can ruin the sharp vision needed
to see objects clearly and to do common tasks like driving and reading. In
some cases, AMD can be treated with lasers to help reduce the risk of
increased vision loss. Ask your eye care professional about recent
research suggesting that some dietary supplements reduce the risk of AMD. o
Diabetic retinopathy.
This common complication of diabetes happens when small blood vessels stop
feeding the retina as they should. Laser surgery and a treatment called
vitrectomy can help. If you have diabetes, be sure to have an eye exam
through dilated pupils every year. o
Retinal detachment.
This happens when the inner and outer layers of the retina become
separated. If you notice changes in floaters and/or light flashes in your
eye, either all at once or over time, see your eye care professional at
once. With surgery or laser treatment, doctors often can reattach the
retina and bring back all or part of your eyesight. Low vision affects some people as they age. Low vision means you cannot
fix your eyesight with glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery. It
can get in the way of your normal daily routine. You may have low vision
if you: $
have trouble seeing
well enough to do everyday tasks like reading, cooking, or sewing; $
can’t recognize the
faces of friends or family; $
have trouble reading
street signs; or $
find that lights don’t seem as bright as usual. If you have any of these problems, ask your eye care
professional to test you for low vision. There are many things that can
help. Aids can help you read, write, and manage daily living tasks.
Lighting can be adjusted to your needs. You also can try prescription
reading glasses, large-print reading materials, magnifying aids,
closed-circuit televisions, audio tapes, electronic reading machines, and
computers that use large print and speech. Other simple changes also may help: $
Write with bold, black
felt-tip markers. $
Use paper with bold
lines to help you write in a straight line. $
Put colored tape on
the edge of your steps to help you avoid a fall. $
Install dark-colored
light switches and electrical outlets that you can see easily against
light colored walls. $
Use motion lights that
turn on by themselves when you enter a room. These may help you avoid
accidents caused by poor lighting. $
Use telephones,
clocks, and watches with large numbers, and put large-print labels on Less than perfect vision does not have to hamper your
lifestyle. By having regular eye exams you will be doing your part to take
care of your eyes. Res To learn more
about eye care contact: The National
Eye Institute (NEI) The
National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), distributes Age Pages and other materials on a wide
range of topics related to health and aging. For a list of free
publications contact: National
Institute on Aging |
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