Age sometimes brings changes that weaken your eyes, but there
are things you can do to maintain lifelong eye and overall health.
The solution may be as simple as using brighter lights around the
house to help prevent accidents caused by weak eyesight or seeing
your doctor more frequently to screen for age-related
diseases.
Preventing eye problems
While eye problems and eye diseases become more prevalent with
age, many can be prevented or corrected if you:
- See your family physician regularly to check for diseases that
could cause eye problems, like diabetes.
- Visit your ophthalmologist every one to two years. Having a
complete eye exam with an eye specialist is important because most
eye diseases can be treated when found in an early stage. The eye
doctor will dilate or enlarge your pupils by putting drops in your
eyes. This is the only way to find some eye diseases that have no
early signs or symptoms. You should also have a screening for
glaucoma. The doctor will then test your eyesight, your glasses,
and your eye muscles.
- Have an eye exam with pupil dilation, at least once every year,
if you have diabetes or a family history of eye disease. See an eye
doctor immediately if you have any loss of eyesight, blurred
vision, eye pain, double vision, redness, swelling of your eye or
eyelid, or fluids coming from the eye.
Common age-related eye problems
These are several eye problems that are more common as people
age, but they can affect anyone. There are some simple measures
that people of any age can take to help ease their comfort and see
better.
- Presbyopia is the loss of ability to see close
objects or small print. It is a normal process that happens slowly
over a lifetime. You may not notice any change until after age 40.
People with presbyopia often hold reading materials at arm's
length. Some people get headaches or "tired eyes" while reading or
doing other close work. Presbyopia is often corrected with reading
glasses.
- Floaters are tiny spots or specks that float
across the field of vision. Most people notice them in well-lit
rooms or outdoors on a bright day. Floaters often are normal, but
can sometimes be indications of eye problems such as retinal
detachment, especially if they are accompanied by light flashes. If
you notice a sudden change in the type or number of spots or
flashes, see your eye doctor as soon as possible.
- Dry eyes happen when tear glands cannot make
enough tears or produce poor quality tears. Dry eyes can be
uncomfortable, causing itching, burning or even some loss of
vision. Your eye doctor may suggest using a humidifier in your home
or special eye drops that simulate real tears. Surgery may be
needed in more serious cases of dry eyes.
- Tearing, or having too many tears, can come
from being sensitive to light, wind, or temperature changes.
Protecting your eyes by shielding them or wearing sunglasses can
sometimes solve the problem. Tearing may also mean that you have a
more serious problem, such as an eye infection or a blocked tear
duct. In addition, people with dry eyes may tear excessively
because dry eyes are easily irritated. Your eye doctor can treat or
correct both of these conditions.