Vision Care Needs Increase As We Grow Older
Older Americans have
special concerns in caring for their eyes; but seniors
needn’t be frustrated by the gradual onset of
reduced visual acuity.
Dr. Ted McElroy, president of the Georgia Optometric
Association, recommends a sound plan of regular eye
care. “An optometrist can help in the early
detection of problems specific to aging,” he
says. “ Most eye diseases have no symptoms because
the retina, the eye’s back tissue, doesn’t
have pain receptors.”
Your optometrist will watch
for:
* Cataracts -- a yellowing/clouding
of the eye’s lens structure, most often simply
as a result of aging;
* Age-related macular degeneration
(ARMD) -- affects your central vision or what you
see straight ahead. While ARMD cannot be reversed,
it’s managed through early detection;
* Glaucoma -- a disease in which
pressure inside the eye is too high, which can lead
to blindness. It too, can be managed through early
detection.
* Presbyopia -- a condition
everyone starts to experience around age 40, when
people begin needing vision correction for near vision
tasks, like reading.
“As we age, besides losing
muscular flexibility in our bodies, we will find the
flexibility of our eyes is affected,” explains
Dr. Larry Thal who is an optometrist. “Presbyopia
affects the crystalline lens of the eye, the transparent
structure inside the eye that is like the focusing
lens of a camera, and the muscle that flexes for it
to auto-focus. Like our bodies, with age the lens
loses elasticity and the muscle becomes weaker.”
Signs of presbyopia include:
* Difficulty focusing close-up.
* Difficulty reading fine print.
* Difficulty focusing in dim
lighting.
* Holding reading material further
away to focus clearly.
* Headaches from near vision
work.
* Eye fatigue from computer
work or reading.
Presbyopia is not reversible
but there are many options to make life easier, such
as bifocal, trifocal or progressive lens glasses,
reading glasses and even bifocal contact lenses. While
some people may pick up a pair of reading glasses
at the drugstore, it’s better to visit your
optometrist to properly evaluate your eyes and prescribe
the correct eyewear for you.
Routine eye examinations are
key to keeping the golden years bright. Ask your optometrist
about ways to see better as you age.
