Keeping eyes healthy as you age

Your view of the world most likely will change as you get older – literally. Almost all of us will have vision changes over the decades. Likely these eye changes will be related to increased blurriness or difficulty in reading print. Whatever the cause, eye health is not to be taken for granted. This is why the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends at a minimum, a baseline eye exam in middle age and more frequent exams as you get older.

Unfortunately, a good percentage of us are not seeing an eye-care specialist like we should. Maybe this is due to lack of insurance coverage but findings from the National Health Interview Survey found 40 percent of adults with severe visual impairment and 50 percent of those with at least some vision impairment had not seen an optometrist or ophthalmologist in the previous 12 months. Almost 50 percent of people over age 65 with no known visual impairments had failed to see an eye-care specialist in the past year.

This is concerning as an observational study published in JAMA Ophthalmology in 2017 found older adults with vision loss may be at a higher risk for cognitive decline than older adults with good vision. If they go to their optometrist at least yearly, this can help detect any problems such as cataracts or glaucoma, get them treated possibly preserving their mental health.

How our eyes work

The ability to see is quite a complex function. There are many parts of your eye that work together helping you to see. Think of your eye as a slightly asymmetrical globe, about an inch in diameter. The front part of your eye or what you see when you look in a mirror, includes the iris, the colored part; the cornea, a clear dome over the iris; the pupil, the black circular opening in the iris that lets light in; the sclera, the white of your eye; and the conjunctive, a thin layer of tissue that covers the entire front of your eye, except for the cornea.

The lens, which sets behind the iris and pupil, helps focus light on the back of your eye. As light projects through your pupil and lens to the back of the eye, the retina converts light into electrical impulses. Behind your eye, the optic nerve carries these impulses to the brain. The macula is a small extra-sensitive area in the retina that gives you central vision.

Protecting the health of your eyes

Ideally, starting from birth, our eye health needs to be guarded. Our eyes have a complex job to do and the more we can provide them with support to help them last a lifetime, the more likely we can see well into our future. Here are some vision smart eye-care tips to follow:

· Be sure to wear sunglasses specifically labeled stating they block 99-100% of UV rays. Lifelong exposure to ultraviolet rays promotes cataracts and macular degeneration. Whether it’s a sunny or cloudy, summer or winter, wearing sunglasses along with a wide brim hat are your best bet for protecting your eyes.

· Anytime you might be working with power tools or dangerous chemicals that could splash, mowing the lawn where objects such as twigs could go flying or when playing a sport such as tennis or racquetball, don a pair of goggles or safety glasses to prevent eye injuries.

· Avoid tanning booths and sunlamps, both which can cause irreversible damage to your eyes. Tanning beds can produce UV levels up to 100 times what you would get from the sun, causing serious damage to the external and internal structures of the eye and eyelids. This UV damage may also result in the development of cataracts as well as cancer of the uvea, which is the middle layer of tissue under the white of the eye.

· There is the belief that reading in dim lighting can cause long-term harm to your eyes but there is no scientific evidence of this. Dim light might make it difficult for the eyes to focus which can cause short-term eye fatigue but it is not harmful to the eyes. However, dry eyes could be a short-term problem when reading insufficient light as you may blink less often. Even though it may be uncomfortable, it does not damage the structure or function of the eyes. Use of over-the-counter lubricating drops can help with dry eyes.

· Staring at a computer or phone screen for too long can cause eyestrain, blurry vision, trouble focusing at a distance, and dry eyes. To help prevent these issues move the screen so your eyes are level with the top of the monitor allowing you to look slightly down at the screen. Avoid glare form windows and lights or use an anti-glare screen if necessary.

· Quit smoking. It makes you more likely to get cataracts, do damage to your optic nerve, and cause macular degeneration.

· Visit your eye doctor regularly as everyone needs a regular eye exam. Eye exams can spot disease such as glaucoma which has no symptoms. It’s important to spot conditions such as this early on when they are easier to treat. Having a yearly comprehensive eye exam not only check your vision but also tests to see how well your eyes work together, checks on eye pressure and optic nerve functioning, and when the eyes are dilated they can check on the health of the retina.