Eye Care for Elderly
How To Take Care Of Eyes In The Elderly people?
Our elders are the source of wisdom and pride and so is Eye Care for Elderly. Health programs are gradually improving which is seen in the ratio of elderly persons living longer. A healthy lifestyle always promotes good health and when eye health is concerned it is more specific. Good food habit is also important for eye health in long term. We should always be careful about the fact that your elder family member gets good access to eye care services.
Why is taking care of the eyes critical in elder persons?
Though it is very common nowadays, vision problems are seen mostly in seniors. There are some specific categories like Cataract, Age-Related Macular Degeneration ( AMD ) and Glaucoma. An elderly person suffers from these most. Age-related eye disease can also increase by some other diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular etc. When someone is suffering from poor vision may face restricted mobility and then staying active is always advisable to maintain a healthy and quality life.
What should someone do to ensure better vision?
- Regular eye examination
A yearly eye check up is always recommended. An opthalmologist not only can diagnose eye diseases like Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Cataract, Glaucoma, they can also detect other diseases like hypertension, diabetes etc which causes eye cancer.
- Normal blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels
There are some diseases that not only affect the dedicated part but can also increase the risk of vision loss. Those are hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis which causes adverse changes in blood vessels of the eyes. There are ranges from haemorrhages, exudations, blockage of the blood vessels in the eyes by which vision gets affected.
- Wearing prescribed glasses as much as possible
People with low vision are suggested with glasses at the prior stage. This helps to get the vision back if used regularly. It can result in better vision at a certain point. There are some other low vision aids, opthalmologist often suggest when there is no improvement after wearing glasses.
- Wearing protective glasses
With the growing ages, you have to protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays. To protect your eyes, you can wear a hat with a brim or you can use any dupatta or scarf. Wearing you be protected sunglasses is also recommended for eye protection. If the glasses are doctor prescribed, it is more beneficial.
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
Healthy nutrients are essential for our entire body, eyes are not excluded. A healthy diet with more leafy greens, whole grains, fruits, vegetables is some nutrient provider to the body. Exercise is also important to keep our eyes as well as our bodies healthy. Proper blood circulation results in good eyesight. Oxygen intake is also mandatory to get better vision.
- Stop smoking
You have to stop smoking if you want your eyes to be healthy. It increases the risk for Cataracts and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. If you smoke, the chance of getting affected is 2.5-3.5 times greater. If your age is above 80 and you smoke, the chance of AMD is 5.5 times greater.
- Avoid falls and eye injuries
You have to wear your prescribed glasses which can protect your eyes. Without this, a UV protection shield or glasses are also recommended to avoid any eye injuries.
What are the common problems associated with ageing?
Dry eyes
Decreasing tear production cause dry eye problem. Most elders suffer from the disease. Smoking is one more reason which increases the dryness of the eyes. Women suffer from dry eyes at the age of menopause. Without this looking at the screen for a longer period, dehydration, overuse of sugar, allergy causes dryness of the eyes.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is an age-related problem. It causes blurriness to the near vision that begins in the forties. It is the reason why the lens starts thickening which makes the lens less flexible. Reading is the main problem of this disease. Glasses are helpful in this problem
Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) and floaters
Elderly patients often complain about the mosquitoes in front of the eye. These are the symptoms of floaters. When the gel-like vitreous inside the eye degenerate into a more liquified State, floaters arrive. It is a sign of pull on the retina. An immediate eye checkup is always recommended in this case. If you see a sudden increase of floaters, decreases in vision or a certain falling in front of the eyes, you must visit an opthalmologist.
Cataract
Cataract is the most common eye problem in elderly patients. It will make you feel like a cloud in the natural lens of the eyes. You will feel the increasing blurriness and haziness in your vision. Metabolic diseases like diabetes, inflammation etc increase Cataract formation. Though the loss of vision because of cataracts is not permanent. It is not totally sight-threatening. It requires surgery for its resolution. Cataract surgery and intraocular lens implementation are something which can reverse vision loss due to cataracts.
Some conditions are proved to be sight-threatening
It can be the reason for permanent vision loss, like
Glaucoma: Optic nerve gets damaged because of glaucoma. It increases the intraocular pressure that causes progressive vision loss. Open-Angle and Closed Angel are two broad categories of glaucoma.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration: AMD is one of the reasons for blindness. There are two types of AMD, dry AMD and wet AMD. Dry AMD causes gradual vision loss because of the growing age and thinning of the tissues in the macula. It is the light-sensitive part of the eye. If beneath the retina new blood vessels generate and leak fluid, macular degeneration arrived which causes diminution of vision.
Diabetic Retinopathy: If the sugar level in the body is not controlled there may be a case of diabetes which can be sight-threatening side by side. In this case, also new blood vessels repeat on the retina and leak fluid after a certain time which causes swelling and hemorrhage, as a result, vision loss.