Vision Care Over 60
As we move into our senior years regular eye exams with an ophthalmologist become increasingly important to preserve our sight. Presbyopia which is farsightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the lens of the eye, can begin as early as our 40’s and increase with age. Even seniors without age-related eye diseases may have vision changes that might not be obvious. For instance, it may gradually become harder to distinguish an object from its background when they are the same color (like a white coffee cup sitting on a white table). This is called loss of “contrast sensitivity.” For seniors, the ability to see well in different lighting may also change. When going from a well-lit area to one with poor light (or the other way around), your eyes may take longer to adjust and focus, or they don’t adjust very well. These exams are even more important if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of eye disease. Vision problems may develop with no physical symptoms until they’re quite advanced. At your yearly exam the doctor can look for signs of the following: Cataracts: A condition that causes clouding of the eye’s lens. Cataracts can usually be corrected with surgery. Diabetic retinopathy: A condition related to diabetes; diabetic retinopathy causes damage to the blood vessels in the back of the eye. It is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Macular degeneration: This age-related vision problem affects the light-sensitive tissue in the [Read More...]
