As we get older it is normal that our vision changes. Our eyes may find it harder to read small print, take longer to adjust from light to dark and be more sensitive to glare from sunlight or very bright light bulbs. The most common causes of vision loss in senior include:
Many changes to vision happen so slowly that you may not realize you have a problem. If you are over 45 years of age, the most important thing you can do to protect your vision is to have an eye exam on a regular basis. Finding problems early may make the difference between maintaining good vision and vision loss.
Lighting: The retina is like film in a camera. As we get older, the number of cells in the retina decrease-the fewer the calls, the more difficult it is to see in dim light.
Print size: It gets more difficult to read small print as we get older because we lose focusing ability, and need more contrast to see as our eye's lenses oxidize.
Glare: We are more bothered by glare as we get older because as the lenses in our eyes oxidize and become less "perfect", light is scattered by the lens, creating glare. For example, driving at night because more difficult because of glare, and it is harder to see products displayed or stored in glass cases that produce glare.
Blur and Decreased Contrast Sensitivity: It becomes increasingly difficult to see clearly in dim lighting while reading, or driving at night.
Visual disturbances like spots or floaters, which appear like specks, strands or threads in front of the eye become more common as we age.
We can age gracefully by taking care of our eyes. Our doctors can make recommendations at your annual eye health examination such as:
Do not take your eyes for granted. Respect yourself by taking care of your eyes like you take care of everything else that is important to you. Life is worth seeing!
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