3 Eye Problems To Look For As You Age
As you get older, so does every part of your body, including your eyes. This can lead to newly developing eye problems that can affect your vision and ability to get around. If you would like to know more, check out these three eye problems that can affect you as you get older.
1. Presbyopia
Presbyopia is similar to farsightedness. Except while farsightedness tends to present itself earlier, presbyopia affects older people. As you get older, your eyes may simply lose the ability to focus on nearby objects. This can make it difficult to see up close, such as while you read. In order to see the print, you may need to hold the book farther away.
You can typically tell you have presbyopia on your own because things will look blurry up close, but an eye exam can also reveal vision problems. In most cases, treatment involves glasses for reading and seeing close objects. If you also struggle with nearsightedness, however, you may need bifocals, trifocals, or progressives.
2. Cataracts
Your eye has a lens that helps bend light, which allows you to see. Normally this lens is clear, but as people age, they can develop cataracts, which clouds the lens. This can lead to many symptoms, such as blurry vision, seeing double, sensitivity to light, and difficulty seeing well at night.
You are at higher risk of developing cataracts if you have a family history of them, suffer from diabetes, or you smoke. Too much UV exposure can also lead to cataracts. Unfortunately, glasses don't really fix cataracts because they don't remove the cloudiness. The only treatment for cataracts is surgery to replace the natural lens with an artificial one.
3. Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in older Americans, and it is caused by damage to the optic nerve. The damage is typically caused by pressure, which is why the eye doctor may perform pressure tests at regular eye exams.
If you have open-angle glaucoma, you may have central vision with blind spots on the peripheral of each eye. This can lead to tunnel vision as the disease advances. Acute angle-closure glaucoma usually presents blurred vision, severe headache, eye pain, and nausea. Treatment varies, but some people do well with eye drops that help reduce fluid in the eye, but oral medications may also be necessary. In some cases, surgery can help, including laser therapy and filtering surgery.
It's important to protect your eyes at any age, but as you get older, you're more likely to develop certain eye disorders. If you want to know more, or if you are ready to seek treatment for your age-related eye conditions, contact an eye care clinic in your area today.