Aging and Your Eyes

As you age, it is normal to notice changes in your vision. A few common changes for older adults include:

• Losing the ability to see up close
• Having trouble distinguishing colours, such as blue from black
• Needing more time to adjust to changing levels of light

These problems are often easily corrected. Glasses, contact lenses, and improved lighting may help and enable you to maintain your lifestyle and independence. Your risk for some eye diseases and conditions increases as you grow older, and some eye changes are more serious. Keep your eyes as healthy as possible by getting regular eye exams so any problems can be spotted early.

What can you do to protect your vision?

Have your eyes checked regularly by an eye care professional — either an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Finding and treating any problems early can help protect and prevent vision loss. Make a list of your questions and concerns to share with the doctor. Tell them which medications you are taking. Some can affect your eyes. 

Normal changes in the aging eye usually do not harm your vision. However, sometimes they can be signs of a more serious problem. For example, your eyes may leak tears. This can happen with light sensitivity, wind, or temperature changes. Sunglasses and eye drops may help. Sometimes, leaking tears may be a symptom of dry eye or a sign of an infection or blocked tear duct. Your eye care professional can treat these problems.

Everyone over age 50, as well as those with diabetes or high blood pressure should have a dilated eye exam every year even if you have good vision and don’t wear contacts or glasses. This is the only way to find some common eye diseases while they’re easier to treat — and before they cause vision loss. After age 60, you should get a dilated eye exam every year or two.

During this examination, the eye care professional will put drops in your eyes to widen (dilate) your pupils so that he or she can better see inside each eye. Your vision may be blurry after the exam, and your eyes may be more sensitive to light. This only lasts a few hours. Make plans for someone else to drive you home.

If you wear glasses or contact lenses, get your prescription checked, too. Even small changes in sight can increase your risk for falls and injuries. It’s important to use the proper prescription glasses or contact lenses.

See your primary health care provider regularly to check for diseases
like diabetes and high blood pressure. These diseases can cause eye problems if not controlled or treated.

Tips for healthy eyes at any age

There are things you can do to take good care of your eyes and help keep them healthy as you age:

• Protect your eyes from sunlight by wearing sunglasses that block ultraviolet (UV) radiation and a hat with a wide brim when you are outside.
• Stop smoking.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Be physically active and maintain a healthy weight.
• Maintain normal blood pressure.
• Manage diabetes (if you have it).
• If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focused on one thing, take a break every 20 minutes to look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds to prevent eye strain.

Eye diseases and conditions 

The following eye problems can lead to vision loss and blindness in older adults.

• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) Treatments are available, and special dietary supplements can help lower your chance of it getting worse.
• Diabetic retinopathy may occur if you have diabetes. It develops slowly, often with no early warning signs. If you have diabetes, be sure to have a dilated eye exam at least once a year. Keeping your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control can prevent diabetic retinopathy or slow its progress in early stages. Laser surgery in later stages can sometimes prevent it from getting worse.
• Cataracts are cloudy areas in the eye’s lens causing blurred or hazy vision. Some cataracts stay small and don’t change your eyesight much. Others become large and reduce vision. Cataract surgery can restore good vision and is a safe and common treatment.
• Glaucoma is usually caused by too much fluid pressure inside the eye. If not treated, it can lead to vision loss and blindness. People with glaucoma often have no early symptoms or pain. Glaucoma can be treated with prescription eye drops, lasers, or surgery.
• Dry eye occurs when tear glands don’t work well. You may feel stinging or burning, a sandy feeling as if something is in the eye, or other discomfort. Dry eye is common as people get older, especially for women. Treatments include a home humidifier or air purifier, special eye drops (artificial tears), or ointments to treat dry eye. For more severe cases, treatment options might include prescription medication, tear duct plugs, or surgery.

Signs of an eye emergency

See an eye care professional right away if you:

• Suddenly cannot see or everything looks blurry
• See many new floaters (tiny specks or “cobwebs” that seem to float across your vision) and/or flashes of light
• Have eye pain
• Experience double vision
• Have redness or swelling of your eye or eyelid

What is low vision? 

Low vision means you cannot fix your eyesight with glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery. Low vision affects some people as they age. You may have low vision if you:

• Can’t see well enough to do everyday tasks like reading or cooking
• Have difficulty recognizing the faces of your friends or family
• Have trouble reading street signs
• Find that lights don’t seem as bright

If you have any of these problems, ask your eye care professional to test you Tips that may help:

• Brighten the lighting in your room.
• Write with bold, black felt-tip markers.
• Use paper with bold lines to help you write in a straight line.
• Put coloured tape on the edge of any stairs in your home to help you see them and prevent you from falling.
• Install dark-coloured light switches and electrical outlets so that you can see them easily against light-coloured walls.
• Use motion lights that turn on when you enter a room. These may help you avoid accidents caused by poor lighting.
• Use clocks with large numbers and phones with large screens; put large-print labels on the microwave and stove

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