Eye health maintenance in older people

Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 1:59 pm Post in Eye Diseases

Adults above 45 are at a higher risk of developing vision problems due to natural aging or eye diseases. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) estimates that the population that suffers various eye diseases will reach 43 million by 2020. It is overwhelmingly important for older individuals to maintain eye health.

Generally speaking, individuals who have family history of diabetes or high blood pressure are at a higher risk of getting certain eye diseases. Statistics show that African-Americans are more susceptible to eye diseases. In this condition, regular physical exams are important to detect early signs of sight-threatening healthy problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. These diseases are potential causes of diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Vision changes can be warning signs of underlying vision problems. Double vision, hazy vision, light sensitivity, frequent light flashes, floaters, eye pain and swelling are common vision signs. In similar to healthy conditions, early treatment of those underlying eye health problems that cause negative vision signs is critical. Older adults should receive regular eye exams at least every two years even if there is no obvious eye problem. Eye exams can detect underlying eye disorders such as pupil dilation, diabetic retinopathy and so on.

Besides healthy exams, there are still many things can be done to maintain healthy eyes. Smoking is thought to bring a higher risk of macular degeneration and cataracts, so that older people should get rid of smoking in a particular urgency. UV rays from sunlight are also closely associated with cataracts, so that sunglasses are still needed by the older population.

Other aspects are related to daily exercise and diet. Studies from AAO point out that regular exercise such as walking can significantly decrease the rate of age-related macular degeneration. A healthy and balanced diet that contains plenty of nutrients especially antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids is essential in maintaining eye health. Fruits, vegetables and fish are some of the great sources of these nutrients.