What Seniors Need to Know About Vision Loss

[SeaBreeze]

Article explaining the three main vision problems that many seniors experience, and how some vision issues can be treated. Full story here.

For most of us, hitting age 40 signals a time of change with regard to several aspects of our health. One of the most noticeable is a change in how we see close-up objects. Called presbyopia, this condition is different from garden-variety farsightedness and results from a loss of flexibility of the lens in the eye – the lens gets more rigid and it’s simply more difficult to focus on objects near to you.

It’s a relatively easy problem to correct – many of us simply reach for a pair of “cheater” reading glasses or a flashlight to help navigate the fine print of restaurant menus and other small type in low-lit areas. Others find it might be time for that first pair of prescription glasses.

But as we continue to age, our eyes continue to change. Those changes may require more than a cheap pair of readers to correct, and changing eye health can also have implications for overall health.

Dr. Mona Adeli, an ophthalmologist with the Havener Eye Institute at The Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, says “there are certain changes that you can expect as you get older, some of which are kind of universal to most people as they age.” Other conditions, “we’re just more likely to develop with age, but are not necessarily part of a normal aging process.”


The three most common eye conditions that tend to arise later in life are:

• Cataracts
• Macular degeneration
• Glaucoma

If you’re a smoker, quitting smoking can reduce the risk of your developing age-related vision problems. And eating right and exercising can also help. “Diets that are full of green, leafy vegetables and fish” have been linked to a slower rate of progression for macular degeneration, Singh says.

Lastly, it’s important to know that no matter what’s going on with your eyes, there’s probably a treatment available. While some of the changes our eyes go through are considered normal functions of aging, other age-related eye changes aren’t just a fact of life we have to accept, Adeli says. “I think a lot of patients think that it’s normal to lose vision as they get older, and so they may not necessarily seek eye care because they think it’s a normal process they just have to live with.” But “the field is constantly changing and there are always new treatments becoming available.”

Singh agrees, adding that “we have lots of effective treatments for all these conditions. No patient should feel like they would go blind from any of these conditions. All of them are treatable, and with the proper evaluation and diagnosis and management they can all save sight in these patients over time.”

 

[Aunt Bea]

Thanks!

My eye guy started me on these pricey little vitamins that he feels will help stave off Macular Degeneration.

I take them faithfully but have no idea if they have any value.

Sort of like wearing garlic around your neck to ward off vampires, it can't hurt.

 

[jaminhealth]

I am 80 and have none of the 3, and don't bother with eye doc visits at this later date.

What is saving me is:

Grape Seed Extract
Vitamin C
Lutein
Bilberry (take it sometimes)
Crystalline eye drops for cataract prevention

I'm a fan of NO Surgeries and trust the supps more than I do most doctors.

I truly believe so many older folks are missing the boat by not supplementing. They camp out at the doctor's offices instead.

 

[ClassicRockr]

I am 80 and have none of the 3, and don't bother with eye doc visits at this later date.

What is saving me is:

Grape Seed Extract
Vitamin C
Lutein
Bilberry (take it sometimes)
Crystalline eye drops for cataract prevention

I'm a fan of NO Surgeries and trust the supps more than I do most doctors.

I truly believe so many older folks are missing the boat by not supplementing. They camp out at the doctor's offices instead.

From someone who has been in the medical field, both as an EMT and working for a Senior Healthcare Company, you keep on using your supplements, but there are many of us that would trust both supplements and an eye doctor. That is wife and I.

Not a thing against you, for how you handle things, but...……..

 

[ClassicRockr]

My wife takes P-5-P daily and also wears prescription glasses.

Me, my cataracts were getting worse and worse, even while wearing prescription glasses. Had laser assisted cataract surgery on both eyes last Oct 2018. My left eye was really bad and now I have 20/20 vision in that eye with a new lens. My right eye wasn't as bad, but, with a new lens, I have 20/25 vision in that eye. It definitely cost us, in the area of about $4k, but worth every penny of that money.

 

[jaminhealth]

Yes, different ways to do our healing makes the world go around. I prefer NOT to support the greedy pharma companies and do support supplement companies that help us to do that.

I've seen enough damage from Western medicine in myself and some loved ones so I can't go that route if I don't NEED to .... and there is a s upplement for EVERY ailment out there...Every one.

I've worn prescription lens for decades and no changes in dx for over the last 10 yrs.....and I happen to think eye glasses are attractive, have owned so many colorful and lovely frames in my lifetime.

If I can keep a knife away from my body, I will.

Oh I also take P5P 50mg as it's part of my sleep combo.

 

[Don M.]

My old Dad had Macular Degeneration in his later years, and that really hampered his lifestyle. Years ago, I mentioned that to my eye doctor, and he strongly suggested that I begin to take 6mg. of Lutein, and a fish oil capsule daily. I have followed that advice ever since, and also take a daily "mens over 50" multivitamin. I go in for a thorough eye exam every year, and so far, so good...my prescription has stayed pretty stable for years. According to my eye doctor, Lutein is the Best supplement for eye health, and I believe it....6 Mg. is about all the body can absorb, according to my eye doctor. Preservision is an excellent product, but the pills I take are a fraction of its cost...I order mine online from Swanson Vitamins. I fully agree that taking the proper supplements is far better than filling the calendar with doctor visits.