Whether you love your grandparents or are a grandparent yourself, it is important to pay attention to your vision as you age. You remember to take yourvitamins, or to get your blood pressure checked, but many people overlook their eyes (ironic!). For many age related eye problems and diseases early intervention is essential to prevent vision loss or blindness. It’s never too early for an eye exam.
In order to help you determine if there is something wrong with your eyes, here’s a cheat sheet of common age related eye problems and their symptoms:
Presbyopia – This makes focusing on close up words or objects more difficult, generally striking after the age of 40. Presbyopia will worsen gradually as you get older.- Cataracts – A cloudy area covers at least part of the lens inside the eye. This can cause blind spots in your vision. Basically, it’s like having a dirty camera lens, except you’ll need surgery rather than a lens cloth to remove it.
- Macular degeneration – This is a deterioration of part of the retina called the macula. This part of the eye is in charge of your central vision (the sharpest part of your vision directly in front of you) and causes blind spots.
- Glaucoma – This occurs when the fluid pressure in the eye is too high. If not treated early enough, this can lead to permanent blindness, or severe vision loss. Most people who have glaucoma have NO pain or early symptoms, meaning early intervention generally occurs only if a person has regular eye exams.
- Diabetic retinopathy – Diabetes is the primary cause of loss of sight among Americans older than 65, often causing severe damage to the retina. To make matters worse, it’s believed that up to 30% of people living with diabetes are undiagnosed.
Other common ocular problems that come as you get older include dry eyes, tearing up and floaters in your vision. Vision is an important part of life that doesn’t need to be lost. You can’t stop age related vision problems, but eating a healthy diet and having regular eye exams will help you prepare for the future and control your eyesight longer.