Health & Wellness

Boomer Edition | 10th Annual | 2014

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Here's a guide to the most common eye problems associated with aging. CATARACT A clouding of the eye's lens that causes blurry vision, faded colors, glare and reduced night vision. It can occur at any time but becomes more common with age. It is estimated that nearly one in five Americans over 40 gets them in one or both eyes. WHAT IT IS: WHAT YOU CAN DO: The exact cause is uncertain, so there is no proven method of prevention. But outpatient surgery is common and effective, with resultant replacement of the cloudy natural lens by an artificial one — known as an intraocular lens or IOL — resulting in some 90 percent of patients enjoying vision improvement. GLAUCOMA WHAT IT IS: Damage to the optic nerve that occurs when normal fluid pressure rises inside the eye. Risk factors include age, high blood pressure, family history, African or Latin descent, and past eye injuries. Damage often begins as a blind spot but because glaucoma is painless it can go undetected until nerve damage is severe. WHAT YOU CAN DO: There is no cure, and damage can't be reversed, but early detection can lessen the impacts. When pressure has built, it can often be lowered with eye drops, although in some cases surgery is required. MACULAR DEGENERATION A disorder of the macula, the part of the retina that helps the eye discern fine details. There are two forms, wet and dry, which damage sharp and central vision and constrain common tasks like reading and driving. Risk factors include aging, smoking and family history. WHAT IT IS: WHAT YOU CAN DO: Signs of the slowly developing and more common dry form are tiny yellow or white deposits under the retina. For patients developing wet AMD, straight lines might appear wavy. While there is no cure, vision loss can be combated with vitamins (C, E, beta-carotene, zinc and copper), luteins, and leafy green vegetables. Laser therapy and surgery are also being studied. OTHER DISEASES Additional problems that become more common with aging include presbyopia, which lessens your ability to see close objects or small print clearly; dry eyes that develop when your tear glands can't produce enough tears or produce tears of poor quality; floaters, the tiny spots or specks that float across your field of vision; and diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that damages the retina's blood vessels. Effects can range from minor annoyance to blindness, and like other vision problems are detected and tackled best through regular eye exams. Health and Wellness Magazine • 33

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