Gail’s family and friends always warned her that your vision changes as you age, but she didn’t really believe them. All too often, while her mother struggled to read the menu in a dimly lit restaurant, fishing through a bag for her trusted pair of readers, Gail would laugh and roll her eyes. After all, she had always bragged to others about her 20/20 vision. She didn’t put much stock into the stories she had heard about how other people’s eyes began to give out on them.
Despite her stubborn belief, Gail’s eyes slowly started to change. She had recently turned forty, which is exactly when her mother warned this would happen. At first, she wrote it off as allergies. It must be the high pollen count this summer. Or maybe the air quality in the city is getting worse. She remembered briefly seeing a story on the news about that. Yes, that must be it. Nothing to worry about.
But even as the seasons progressed, she was still having trouble seeing things up close and adjusting to low levels of light. She finally made the decision to see an eye care professional. After an exam, the doctor informed her that though her vision hadn’t been an issue in the past, it wasn’t surprising that her eyesight was slowly changing. Our eyes age along with the rest of our bodies.
Gail’s experience is not uncommon. Many adults ignore changes to their eyesight for vanity reasons and/or fear that they may lose their lifestyle or independence. But understanding how the aging process affects your vision can help you distinguish when abnormal changes occur and when it may be necessary to seek out the opinion of an eye care professional. And though the vision changes in Gail’s story are common, a person’s risk for some eye diseases and conditions increase with age, and some eye changes are more serious.
How Aging Affects Eye Health
As our friend Gail learned, even perfect vision can change as you age. Common age-related eye conditions include:
- After age 40, tear production tends to decrease, causing dry eyes.
- Proteins in the eye lens start to break down, which can lead to cataracts (a clouding of the lens).
- The vitreous, a gel-like fluid in the middle of the eye, starts to shrink, which can cause small, dark shapes that appear to drift across your vision called floaters.
- The lens of the eye becomes less flexible, which affects the ability to focus on nearby objects.
Some of these common age-related vision changes may affect your ability to complete certain tasks. For example, it may become increasingly difficult to drive at nighttime, handle glare from harsh lighting or, like Gail’s mother, to read the fine print of a pesky restaurant menu. If you have any of these problems, ask your eye care professional about vision correction options.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) suggests managing low vision with special aids, such as magnifiers, which can help make the most of your remaining sight. They also recommend making small adjustments to your environment to improve your vision, such as:
- Brighten the lighting in your room.
- Write with bold, black felt-tip markers.
- Use paper with bold lines to help you write in a straight line.
- Put colored tape on the edge of any stairs in your home to help prevent falls.
- Install dark-colored light switches and electrical outlets so that you can see them easily against light-colored walls.
- Use motion lights that turn on when you enter a room. These may help you avoid accidents caused by poor lighting.
- Use clocks with large numbers and phones with large screens; put large-print labels on the microwave and stove.
Even if you think your vision changes are age-related, you should still discuss them with your doctor, because risk for more serious health conditions also increases with age, including chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Regular communication with your primary care provider and/or eye care specialist is not only a smart decision for your vision, but also for your overall health.
How to Protect Your Vision As You Age
Comprehensive eye exams are an important way to prevent eye problems and care for your vision, especially if you have factors that put you at a higher risk. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends making these preventive visits for a complete eye exam with your ophthalmologist annually, especially after age 50. Unsure if you can afford an eye exam? EyeCare America, a program of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, provides low-cost or no out-of-pocket cost eye exams to eligible adults.
But other than eye exams, what else can you do? Research has found that making healthy lifestyle decisions can also lower your risk for developing serious eye diseases and conditions.
Experts from both the NIA and Rush University Medical Center recommend the following to take care of your eyes and help keep them healthy as you age:
- Wearing sunglasses is about more than being fashion-forward, they are also a key factor in protecting your eye health. Choose sunglasses that block 99 to 100% of all UV light. Not just UVA radiation, because UVB radiation is actually considered more dangerous to your eyes and skin.
- Be physically active and maintain a healthy weight.
- Manage your blood pressure and/or diabetes (if you have it). These conditions may cause eye problems if unmanaged.
- Make smart food choices. You can nourish your eyes — and vision — by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables every day. Eating fish and nuts high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may benefit eye health.
- Stop smoking. Tobacco use can increase your risk of eye problems like cataracts and AMD.
- If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focused on one thing, take a break every 20 minutes to look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds to prevent eye strain.
As Gail learned, eyesight is not immune to aging. Prioritize your vision health by becoming familiar with common age-related changes, working to offset risk factors by making healthy lifestyle choices, and regularly consulting with your health care provider and an eye care professional. Your eyes will thank you.
Sources: National Institute on Aging, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Rush University Medical Center, American Optometric Association, National Council on Aging
