Age page: Senior shouldn't skimp on eye care during tough times
October 22, 2009
As the economic crisis continues, some seniors may believe it's reasonable to skip their annual eye exam. But for the older population, it's critically important to keep tabs on the silent stealers of sight -- cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease. And you best "keep tabs" by never missing an annual eye exam.
By age 65, one-in-three Americans have some form of vision-impairing eye disease. Often there are no warning signs, so most people don't know it, or they assume that poor sight is a natural part of aging. It is not necessarily so!
By detecting and treating eye disease early through annual, comprehensive dilated exams, seniors can do so much to preserve their sight.
Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging and are very common in older people. In fact, by age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.
The symptoms of early cataract may include fading colors, poor night vision, cloudy or blurry vision, double vision, frequent prescription changes. Early cataracts may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses. If these don't help, surgery is the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. The visual results are typically excellent with modern surgical techniques.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States and the most common cause of blindness among African-Americans. More than three million Americans have glaucoma, but half do not realize it because there are often no warning symptoms.
In most cases, there are no symptoms during the early stages of the disease. However, as glaucoma progresses, it slowly damages the optic nerve fibers of the eye and the peripheral field of vision narrows which can create "blind spots." Anyone age 60 or older are at risk and especially so if there's a family history of glaucoma.
Medication in the form of eye drops or pills is the most common early treatment for glaucoma. Laser or surgery are available options when needed.
Age related macular degeneration
This is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 50 years of age and older. macular dengeneration is a disease that blurs the sharp, central vision you need for straight-ahead activities such as reading, sewing, and driving. It affects the macula, the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail.
It occurs in both a wet and dry form of the condition. Slow occurring or "dry" affects 90 percent of those with the condition. Fast occurring or "wet" affects 10 percent of such cases. Slightly blurred vision is the most common symptom. Other symptoms may include wavy lines or a blind spot in the center of the field of vision. Those at risk are people over age 75, women, smokers, those with a family history of the disease, and people with elevated cholesterol.
Medication and/or laser surgery can aid some cases of wet macular degeneration.
Diabetic eye disease
Approximately 16 million people in the United States have diabetes and one-third of them do not know it. People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind. With early detection and proper treatment, severe visual loss can usually be prevented.
Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of vision impairing eye problems that people with diabetes may develop such as diabetic retinopathy as well as glaucoma and cataracts. People with diabetes should have a professional eye examination as soon as their diabetes is diagnosed, and at least once a year thereafter. By detecting and treating diabetic eye disease early through annual, dilated eye exams, people with diabetes can preserve their sight.