Although Risk Factors Such as Age and Family History Cannot Be Changed
Welcome to Aging Well, a SymptomFind series with tips to help yous protect your health and well-being as you get older. This first edition focuses on center health — and throughout the series, nosotros'll bring you trusted tips to assist you stay strong, healthy and contained for years to come.
Many eye diseases are more than mutual in older adults. But vision loss does not have to be a normal part of aging. In fact, yous can make simple changes to your daily routine to lower your take a chance for eye diseases that crusade vision loss.
In this guide, nosotros're offer evidence-based tips to help you protect your vision as yous become older. Acquire how changes yous brand today can protect your sight for a lifetime.
Yes, everyone's vision changes slightly as they get older. Subsequently age 45, the lens of your center doesn't focus too — and that makes information technology harder to see things up close. That's why many older adults use glasses to read.
If yous're having trouble reading or seeing things up shut, see your eye doctor for an exam. Your eye doctor may recommend prescription reading glasses or contacts, or you lot may be able to use over-the-counter reading spectacles.
While this small vision change is a normal and expected role of aging, more than serious vision changes and vision loss are not normal. Encounter your doctor correct abroad if you notice changes in your vision.
Am I at Risk for Heart Diseases?
Older adults are at higher chance for several eye diseases, including cataracts, glaucoma and historic period-related macular degeneration.
- Cataracts are cloudy areas in the lens of your eye. More than than half of Americans over historic period fourscore have had cataracts. The good news is, a simple surgery tin can fix cataracts.
- Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damages the nervus that connects your eye to your brain. Early on treatment can terminate the damage and protect your sight.
- Historic period-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that makes your fundamental vision blurry. People ages 55 and older are at higher risk for AMD, only there may be treatments that tin can assistance.
Diabetic centre disease is another master cause of vision loss in older adults. If you have diabetes, you're at adventure for diabetic eye affliction — and your risk gets college every bit you go older.
Your risk for eye diseases may also exist higher depending on your race, gender, family history of eye diseases and any other health atmospheric condition you accept. Talk with your doctor about your personal risk for eye illness.
And remember, while your hazard for these middle problems goes upwards equally you lot age, yous tin still accept steps to protect your center wellness. So don't requite up on your optics!
How Can I Protect My Sight?
Taking intendance of your center wellness tin can be every bit elementary as eating your veggies and remembering your sunglasses when you lot go out the business firm. Follow these half-dozen tips to protect your vision.
ane. Get Regular Centre Exams
Heart diseases that cause vision loss ofttimes have no early symptoms. So the but way to find them early on is to go regular centre exams. Your eye doctor can exam your vision and find eye problems early, when they're easier to treat.
The National Eye Institute says that everyone over age threescore needs an eye test every one to two years. But depending on your run a risk for eye diseases, you lot may demand to start getting eye exams earlier or get them more often. For case, people with diabetes may need to become center exams at least once a twelvemonth. Enquire your doctor how often you need an eye examination.
2. Eat Correct for Your Sight
Healthy eating is cardinal to your overall health. It tin can assist prevent conditions like diabetes that can damage your eyes. And certain foods have nutrients that can help protect your vision, including:
- Leafy light-green veggies, like spinach and collards
- Night orange veggies, like sweet potatoes and carrots
- Fish that provide Omega-3 fatty acids, similar salmon and tuna
So swallow enough of colorful veggies and fatty fish every bit part of a salubrious, balanced diet.
3. Stay Active to Go on Seeing Your All-time
Regular concrete activeness is another central way to stay healthy as you get older. And it lowers your hazard for health conditions that can affect your vision, like loftier blood pressure and loftier cholesterol.
Try to get about two and one-half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. That'south anything that raises your centre rate and makes you breathe faster, like walking, biking or swimming. You could practice 30 minutes on five days a week, or whatever schedule works for you. And at least two days a week, exercise an activity that strengthens your muscles, similar yoga, lifting weights or fifty-fifty carrying groceries.
If you're just getting started, practise every bit much as y'all can and work your way up to more! Even five minutes of walking a 24-hour interval can make a deviation.
4. Manage Your Other Health Atmospheric condition
Health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure level put you at college risk for eye problems. So getting these weather under control is key to protecting your sight.
For instance, if you have diabetes, decision-making your blood sugar tin lower your take a chance for diabetic heart affliction. Talk with your doctor almost the best way to manage your health conditions.
5. Always Vesture Your Sunglasses
Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun can damage your eyes and raise your chance for cataracts. Then it's important to vesture sunglasses that block UV calorie-free. Try to wear your sunglasses whenever you go out in the daytime — even if information technology'southward cloudy outside.
6. If You Smoke, Quit
Smoking isn't just bad for your lungs and your overall health. It also raises your risk for AMD and cataracts. If you smoke, make a plan to quit.
Get Help Living with Vision Loss
If you already have vision loss, in that location are lots of services and devices that tin can help y'all make the well-nigh of the sight you still accept. These are sometimes called "low vision" or "vision rehab" services.
A specialist can help you larn to practise everyday tasks more easily. For instance, you may need a magnifying device to aid you read, or you may need to rearrange your furniture to help yous motility around your home better. Inquire your doctor nigh services and devices that can help you live ameliorate with low vision.
Resources Links:
- "Salubrious Aging Includes Healthy Vision" via Centers for Illness Command and Prevention (CDC)
- "Aging and Your Eyes" via National Constitute on Aging
- "8 Things You Can Do Right Now to Protect Your Vision" via National Eye Institute
- "36 Fabled Foods to Help Protect Your Vision" via American Academy of Ophthalmology
- "The Low Down on Eye Exercises" via Harvard Medical School
- "How Much Physical Activity Practice Older Adults Need?" via CDC
Source: https://www.symptomfind.com/healthy-living/aging-well-how-to-protect-your-vision?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740013%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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