As you get older it’s common to experience changes to your eye health and vision.

Whilst genetics and the natural aging process play a role in long-term eye health, there are many controllable factors that can help slow the progress of deterioration.

In this guide, we’re going to explain how to maintain your eye health as you get older.

How Your Eyes Change with Age

 As you get older, your eyes undergo several physical changes, these include:

• Reduced strength in the muscle that controls the pupil and its reaction to light.
• Lens discolouration that affects how it processes light.
• Lower tear production.
• Loss of flexibility in the lens, impacting its ability to switch from near to far focus.

On average these changes that impact the eye’s focusing ability will begin at about the age of 40. Almost all of us will experience some degree of presbyopia – difficulty focusing on objects up close and reading small print.

These changes can cause symptoms such as:

• A need for more light to see well.
• Headaches or tired-feeling eyes while reading or doing other up-close activities.
• A need for slower adjustment between dark and bright settings.
• Difficulty in distinguishing colours, such as black and blue.
• Trouble reading fine print.
• Dry eyes.
• Objects blending into backgrounds.
• Red, swollen eyelids.

So how do you care for your eyes as you age?

Factors That Slow Down Vision Deterioration

• Quitting Smoking: Smoking increases your risk of conditions that affect your vision such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
• Wearing Sunglasses: Sunglasses protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. These UV rays can damage the skin around the eyes, as well as increasing the chance of developing cataracts and other eye diseases.
• Eating a Well-Balanced Diet: A nutrient rich diet can prevent conditions such as AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration). In your diet you should include antioxidant vitamins and minerals like vitamins A (from eggs), C, E (from almonds, sunflower oil, and vegetable oils), zinc, lutein (from dark, leafy greens), zeaxanthin, and Omega-3 fatty acids (from oily fish).
• Maintaining Healthy Blood Pressure: A healthy blood pressure avoids damaging your eye’s blood vessels. A high blood pressure can cause retinal damage, fluid build-up, or damage the optic nerve.
• Having Regular Eye Exams: Most eye diseases show no early warning signs or symptoms so it’s important to get your eyes tested regularly to detect problems early when they’re easiest to treat. It’s recommended to get an eye test every 1 or 2 years.
• Taking Regular Breaks from Screens: Abiding by the 20/20/20 rule (Looking at an object 20 feet away, for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes) can help reduce the strain on your eyes.

 

It’s important to let your optometrist know if you have a family history of certain eye conditions as it may put you at higher risk.

Worried about your vision? Book an eye test with your local Opticare Opticians branch today.

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