Spring is in the air, or at least the snow storms are not lasting on the ground as long! This can mean dry eyes. Although dry eyes are a common vision issue, we treat, sometimes dry eyes are actually something more serious.
Such as, light sensitivity (this includes anyone who finds they are bothered by light) more commonly as eyes tend to age. Some people can experience this process earlier, but typically its around 40 years old.
Around this time patients typically see their vision change. For patients who have never experienced corrected vision, they may now need readers to see menus or other small print clearly.
With this in mind – it is even more crucial to have annual eye exams as your eyes start to age. This will help your optometrist look for issues that can typically arise as our eyes age.
Some of the typically issues we see in patients over 40 is:
Although may patients we see may just mention dry eyes as an annoyance, it can be signs of a larger issue. The optometrist will likely ask you a series of questions regarding your dry eye symptom to identify what issues could be at play in your dry eyes. It could be a condition in which your tears are not lubricating your eyes.
As a result, dry eyes can get worse over time if not addressed. Additionally, chronic dry eyes can actually damage your vision. So if you are suffering from dry eyes, contact our offices to schedule an appointment today!
Glaucoma is increasingly affecting individuals’ vision. More than three million Americans are living with glaucoma, 2.7 million of whom—aged 40 and older—are affected by its most common form, open-angle glaucoma. Globally, 60.5 million had glaucoma in 2010. Given the aging of the world’s population, this number may increase to almost 80 million by 2020.
Individual’s with a family history are at a higher risk for glaucoma. That is why it is so important to ask your parents and grandparents if they experienced glaucoma or if anyone in the family has been diagnose with glaucoma.
Glaucoma can cause vision loss and blindness if not treated. Glaucoma can be present without any signs or symptoms, so it is important to get your eye pressures check regularly so your optician can test for this eye disease.
Glaucoma is pressure build up that affects the optic nerve decrease vision over time.
Click here to watch a video to learn more about glaucoma!
If you are over the age of 55 and experiencing vision loss, but have tested negative for glaucoma and dry eyes, you may be experiencing macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration affects 11 million people in the United States. This number is expected to double to nearly 22 million by 2050. Advanced age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of irreversible blindness and visual impairment in the world.
Macular degeneration is a disease that affects the retina slowly decreasing the ability to see fine details. This tends to only affect center vision, but not side vision. If caught in the early stages of the disease can be treated and vision loss can be minimized but once the degeneration has taken parts of your vision it may be irreversible.
This is why it is so important for annual vision checks to catch this eye disease in the early stages when they are treatable or manageable before major vision loss has set in.
Cataracts affects more than 24.4 million Americans age 40 and older. By age 75, approximately half of all Americans have cataracts.
Cataracts is when the lens of the eye is damaged. This can be seen by individuals who have experienced cloudy vision, blurry vision, and night halos. Cataracts can be caused by an injury to the eye. Cataracts can also be seen in the natural process of aging eyes.
Every patient is different. Therefore, some patients with cataracts do not have vision issues. Other patients have major vision changes and require surgical removal.
In conclusion, all of these eye conditions can have positive or manageable outcomes IF THEY ARE COUGHT EARLY! So there is no time like the present to get your eyes checked! Do not wait until your vision is failing to seek help, contact us today to schedule your annual exam!
