Human vision changes with age. Acuity blurs, and cataracts grow. Tear ducts function less well, and dry eyes itch.
Worse, glaucoma and macular degeneration pose serious threats to vision, jeopardizing independent living.
While there's no way to preserve the eagle-eye clarity of youth by preventing presbyopia -- the befuzzing of close-up vision that leads stylish folks to clutter up their necklines with multiple sets of rhinestone-spangled reading glasses -- doctors say adults can lower their risk for several age-related problems.
CATARACTS
By the time they're 80, more than half of all Americans have had cataracts, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "It's a normal part of the aging process, like getting gray hair," says Melanie Buttross, an ophthalmologist with Eye Associates of Washington. As time passes, the lens becomes more opaque and dense.
Daniel Pluznik, an ophthalmologist with Eye Physicians of Washington, says, "The more nearsighted you are, the younger you tend to develop them." But the risk doesn't appear to run in families.
At first the blur can be counteracted with changes in prescription, but as cataracts thicken, doctors may recommend surgery -- a common procedure typically covered by insurance. The surgeon removes the cataract, then inserts a clear artificial lens. The lens can be customized to correct vision.
Afterward many patients see better than they have in years.
GLAUCOMA
Would that there were such a happy-ending fix for glaucoma, a condition involving damage to the optic nerve. Early stages can be detected only through an exam to check the optic nerve and measure the pressure of the fluid in the eye. High pressure can harm the nerve.
The organization Prevent Blindness estimates that more than 2.7 million Americans age 40 and older have glaucoma. Most at risk are African-Americans, Hispanics, smokers, diabetics and people who are severely nearsighted or have a family history of glaucoma.
There is no way to prevent or reverse glaucoma but its progression can be halted with early intervention. That requires regular eye exams.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that adults without the risk factors mentioned above have a baseline exam at age 40, then evaluations every two to four years until 55. From that point, they should be checked every one to three years, and one to two years once they're 65. Those at risk for glaucoma and other eye diseases should be seen more frequently.
Treatment is very effective. Daily eyedrops help lower the pressure in the eye, although sometimes ophthalmologists will use lasers or surgery. Once the pressure is stabilized, patients should have their eyes checked every four to six months, Buttross says: "Otherwise, if the pressure creeps up, you won't know it."
MACULAR DEGENERATION
Age-related macular degeneration is a disease in which the cells in the central part of the retina -- the macula -- deteriorate. Though eyesight can be preserved when the disease is caught early, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it "the leading cause of permanent impairment of reading and fine or close-up vision among people aged 65 years and older," and says 1.8 million Americans older than 40 have the condition and another 7.3 million are at risk.
This disease runs in families.
There are two kinds, dry and wet. More common is the dry, which destroys central vision so gradually that many people have it for decades with no obvious disability.
Wet, or neovascular, is more dangerous. Abnormal blood vessels grow into the retina, in some cases leading to bleeding or leaking of fluid. Pluznik says it alters vision suddenly: "Patients can wake up one day and just see a central black spot."
The National Eye Institute's Age-Related Eye Disease Study found that people with age-related macular degeneration who take certain vitamins and minerals can slow the disease's progression. Those antioxidants include vitamins A and E, lutein, zinc, zeaxanthin and copper -- called the AREDS 2 formula.
Because these treatments can cause side effects, Buttross recommends checking with a doctor before taking them.
Along with the AREDS 2 pills, ophthalmologists suggest a low-fat diet that includes fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens such as spinach, kale and collard greens, and eating omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in salmon and tuna.
ActiveStyle on 01/26/2015