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Wednesday 19 August 2015

Eye Sight!!

After the age of 40, changes in vision start occurring. Difficulty seeing clearly for reading and close work is among the most common problems adults develop between ages 41 to 60. Presbyopia, normal aging change in the eye's focusing ability, continue to progress over time. However there are various factors that particularly increase the risk of a person to develop eye and vision problems. They are:
  • Chronic ailments such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
  • Family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration.
  • A highly visually demanding job
  • Work in an eye-hazardous occupation.
  • High cholesterol, thyroid conditions, anxiety or depression, and arthritis for which you take medications, many of which have ocular side-effects.

The most common eye problems that one can suffer from with age are:

  • Difficulty reading
  • Floaters.
  • Cataracts (gradual clouding of the eye's lens)
  • Glaucoma (an increase in pressure in the eye that leads to damage of the optic nerve)
  • Macular degeneration

Apart from regular eye tests and wearing the correct glasses, you can do several things to keep your eyes as healthy as possible:

  • Eat well. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruit will benefit your overall health and may help protect against some conditions such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration
  • Wear sunglasses. Strong sunlight can damage your eyes and may increase your risk of cataracts. Wear sunglasses or contact lenses with a built-in UV filter to protect your eyes from harmful rays. Read more about protecting your eyes (and skin) from the sun.
  • Quit smoking. Smoking can increase your chances of developing conditions such as cataracts and AMD.
  • Stay a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of diabetes, which can lead to sight loss. Check if you're a healthy weight.
  • Use good lighting. To see well, your eyes need three times as much light when you're 60 as they did when you were 20. Increase the daylight in your home by keeping windows clean and curtains pulled back. Make sure you have good electric lighting too, especially at the top and bottom of stairs so you can see the steps clearly. For reading or close work, use a direct light from a flexible table lamp, positioned so the light is not reflected by the page and causing glare.
  • Exercise. Good circulation and oxygen intake are important for our eye health. Both of these are stimulated by regular exercise. Read more about how much exercise you should do.
  • Sleep well. As you sleep, your eyes are continuously lubricated and irritants, such as dust or smoke that may have accumulated during the day are cleared out. Here are 10 tips to beat insomnia.

For more information and tips, log on to our website Old Age Solutions

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