The Many Ways Aging Can Impact Eyesight
Just as our bodies age, so do our eyes. The aging process impacts every single part of us, and unfortunately, our eyes are not immune to it. Our eyesight can worsen over time due to little other than the aging process. Year after year, we may need a stronger prescription and new glasses.
As the busiest muscles in our bodies, our eyes can be impacted by aging in many ways. We may develop diseases that lead to a decline in our eyesight. Regular exams with your eye doctor are key in diagnosing and preventing age-related visual disorders.
There are many ways our eyes age over time. But, there are also measures we can take to prevent and delay some of the negative effects of aging.
Common Ways Aging Impacts Eyesight
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is defined as a natural loss of vision due to aging. It mainly affects individuals over the age of 40. The main symptom of presbyopia is difficulty seeing objects that are close. Presbyopia is caused by age-related loss of elasticity in the eye’s lenses which makes it difficult for the eye to change shape quickly when needed.
When your body feels weak, you strengthen your muscles by working out or going for a run. The same goes for your visual system. Eye exercises and vision improvement techniques are designed to help you improve your vision naturally without the use of glasses. You can forget about contacts and LASIK surgery, too. Great improvement has been seen by many who use the Ocu-Plus Formula for Presbyopia.
Cataracts
Cataracts are the condition of having a clouded eye lens. The clouding comes from the proteins naturally found in the lens clumping together. This cloudiness decreases eyesight and can lead to blindness. The main cause of cataracts is the aging process.
Changes in diet can help to prevent cataracts as you age. Most of us live busy, if not hectic, lifestyles. While our responsibilities may ease up as we age, it can still be difficult to work in a healthy diet. If this is a fair description of your lifestyle, then you may want to consider adding an eye health vitamin to your daily menu.
Corneal Diseases
There are many different diseases that can affect the cornea. As you get older, your risk of developing these diseases increases. Some of the most common are keratoconus, Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy, and bullous keratopathy. While all different, each of these diseases affects the shape or function of the cornea. Some can be quite painful, and all require medical treatment.
Dry Eye
Though folks can have dry eyes for reasons other than aging, it’s a common part of the aging process. It is primarily caused by a lack of lubricating tears in our eyes. Some people mistake the tearing that is caused by tired, irritated eyes as lubrication. When our eyes are irritated, the body tries to flush out whatever is irritating them. This flushing process does not actually lubricate the eye. Even if your eyes water often, you may want to consult a medical practitioner to see if you are developing dry eye. If you notice your eyes are producing an excessive amount of water, also consider seeing a doctor.
It is possible to change your diet or add supplements to your diet which can provide the nutrients needed to ensure good lubrication.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve. After cataracts, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness. It is most common in older individuals. As glaucoma often does not show symptoms until the disease has progressed, frequent screenings are recommended. Especially in individuals over the age of 50. Regular checkups are especially important because one of the first symptoms of glaucoma is a loss of peripheral vision, which can go unnoticed. This is a progressive condition and unless you take steps to halt or reverse it, it can lead to blindness.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an increasingly common cause of blindness that damages the eye’s retina. More specifically, it’s the deterioration of the macula, a tiny part at the back of the retina. Since the macula is responsible for the central field of vision, AMD causes a loss of central vision. Depending on how severe the damage is, it can make it difficult to recognize faces or read. Up-close work, reading, and texting often become a challenge.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Caused by diabetic complications, diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness. Your risk for diabetic retinopathy increases with age. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater likelihood there is that they will develop diabetic retinopathy.
Technically, diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to the blood vessels at the back of the eye. These vessels get damaged when there’s too much sugar in the bloodstream. This is a common occurrence for those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Natural Ways to Prevent, Delay, and Improve Aging Eyes
Feeling overwhelmed now that we’ve covered some of the ways that aging can negatively impact your eyesight? Don’t worry; we’ve got some good news for you. There are some things you can do that may help delay or even prevent the damage aging can do to your eyes. Depending on the problems you are facing with your vision, you may be able to reverse some of the vision damage.
It all boils down to your diet and vitamin regime.
Before starting a new vitamin program be sure to consult your medical practitioner first. This is especially important if you are already taking prescription drugs for other conditions. Some prescription drugs can react badly with over-the-counter vitamins or medication.
You know how your grandparents always said, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Maybe they were right. A carrot a day, with all its eye-nourishing beta-carotene, can do wonders for your eyes. Zinc, vitamin E, vitamin A, and beta-carotenoids are all important in helping to keep your eyes healthy as you age. You can get all these nutrients from your diet or an all-natural eye health supplement.
Our Rebuild Your Vision Ocu-Plus Formula Contains All 17 Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbal Supplements to Improve Your Eye Health!
This article (and many others) is about the effects aging has on our eyes, but this isn’t always the case. As a child I had high myopia and in my 20’s I had a detached retina, followed by cataracts at 40 as well as glaucoma. I am now in my 50’s and I am hoping that a cure for glaucoma damage will be found soon. I am otherwise slim, healthy and eat all the right foods.
Hello, I have light-colored eyes (iris) and have had a history since childhood of light-sensitivity, dry eyes and blepharitis. As a child, conjunctivitis was very common, as well. Had increasing difficulty in grade school from A-student to barely passing through high school and growing pinguacula-ptyrgeria (get confused between the two), in late teens-early 20s. Headaches began in late teens, sproradically, and became chronic in 20s. Was shown to have higher astigmatism in one eye and began favoring one eye over the other (strabismus?). Early on, was told eyeglasses were optional. Within late 20s, was diagnosed with convergence insufficiency (due to favoring one eye over the other). Corrections made: DRY EYES: 1) Using lubrication eye drops in day and ointment in night; 2) was given punctual plugs and later, punctual ecclusions-cauterizations. CLARITY-ACUITY: Had AK surgery on acquired lazy/less-used eye, although mild blurriness remained due to scar’s irregular topography.
More current issues: had a surprise-emergency retinal tear, then detachment on same problematic eye, with vitrectomy, gas-insertion, with latter causing a cataract condition). Cataract surgery followed, with IOL replacement and astigmatism under one unit.
Post surgery series on same eye resulted in an added vertical-alignment problem, added to the original horizontal teaming issue. Prisms have been added into eyeglasses by OD for both, horizontal and vertical factors. However, after a couple of months of attempting adaptation, I found increased problems and horizontal was removed. I saw a neuro-opthalmologist, MD, who tested me and returned to this approach with a plastic, 3M, Fresnal sick-on prism…same problems resulted. – The blepharitis appears to be something I treat occasionally, with eye-lid scrubbing. I find if I do it too much, increased corneal irritation occurs. I awaken each morning with a sensation of extra-ocular muscle eyestrain linked to chronic headaches which began in 20s. Many visits to opthalmologists, MDs, and mentioning this link has brought about comment that such muscles should be relaxed with no spasm, no pain. This has not been the case. However, early on, when headaches were sporadic, I found that I could bury my head in a pillow in a quiet room and block out light, with a bit of pressure on eyes, and some relief could be obtained. The practice rarely brings about relief, currently. Advice?
Everybody have something to help every eye problems. However I have not seen anything about Fuchs corneal dystrophy. It affects Four percent of the population. People of color.