As we age, our vision changes. These changes may involve the inability to distinguish appropriately between certain colors, complications seeing while driving during the evening, nighttime, and early morning hours, challenges adjusting to certain levels of glare, or problems with seeing up close or far away.
While these common changes should not stop you from engaging in an active lifestyle or the ability to maintain your independence, they may have an impact on your safety and general level of well-being.
For that reason, you should work closely with your eye doctor to ensure that all problems are addressed and appropriate treatments are prescribed. In this guide, you will learn about the most common eye problems that may have a detrimental impact on your life as an older adult.
Dry Eye
Dry eye is a common eye issue that impacts seniors. This happens when the eye fails to properly produce tears or when the tears of the eyes evaporate too quickly to provide sufficient moisture to the eye.
The most common impact with this eye issue is complications in reading for long periods of time – be it a book, an e-reading device, or a computer.
Low Vision
When one suffers from low vision, it means that – despite having corrective lenses or other type of medical treatment – daily tasks may become challenging because of the fact that they are unable to see properly.
Examples of common challenges may include seeing appropriately to prepare meals, driving issues, and failure to identify obstacles in the path of movement.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
This eye disease destroys the central vision that helps to see images clearly. The part of the eye impacted assists in driving, reading, and similar activities.
The ability to see clearly is drastically hindered and this vision issue could not only make life uncomfortable, but could result in many safety concerns – especially for seniors that live alone.
Diabetic Eye Disease
If a senior adult suffers from diabetes, they may develop this complication. The blood vessels in the retina become damaged and this could lead to blindness.
According to statistics, this particular eye problem is the leading cause of blindness among older adults.
Cataract
Individuals that have cataract issues may start to find that glare increases and colors may seem faded. Vision often becomes a bit on the cloudy side and may increase as time progresses.
Individuals with this issue may find that they are physically troubled by lights, unable to drive in low lighting, and may experience problems with activities of daily living.
Glaucoma
This senior eye problem happens when the optic nerve becomes damaged. It then leads to loss of vision and the development of blindness.
Individuals that suffer from this issue often have high pressure within their eyes and find that their peripheral vision is affected. Falls are common issues among those with glaucoma.
Safety First
If you or a loved one have one of the eye issues mentioned within this guide, it is advised that you opt for safety and accessibility in New Jersey products that help open spaces, increases lighting, and increase free range mobility.
Failure to put the proper safety precautions into place could result in trips, falls, slips, and other types of injuries. For more information, contact us today at: (973) 946-8330
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