September is Healthy Aging Month, a time to focus on the habits and preventive care that can help us stay active, independent and healthy as we get older. While nutrition, exercise and routine medical care often come to mind when we think about healthy aging, there is another important part of your health that deserves attention: your eyes.
Our vision plays an important role in nearly everything we do, from driving and reading to enjoying hobbies and spending time with family and friends. Taking steps to protect your eye health as you age can help you continue doing the things you love for years to come.
At Chico Eye Center, we encourage patients to make comprehensive eye care part of their healthy aging routine.
How Do Our Eyes Change With Age?
Just like the rest of the body, our eyes naturally change over time. You may notice that reading small print becomes more difficult, your eyes take longer to adjust when moving between light and dark environments or you need more light to see clearly.
Some changes are a normal part of aging. However, age can also increase the risk of certain eye conditions that require monitoring or treatment.
Regular comprehensive eye exams become especially important as you get older because some eye diseases can develop gradually without noticeable symptoms in their early stages.
Common Age-Related Eye Conditions
Understanding the eye conditions that become more common with age can help you recognize the importance of preventive eye care.
Cataracts
A cataract occurs when the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy. Cataracts are extremely common as people get older and may cause symptoms such as blurry or hazy vision, increased sensitivity to glare, difficulty seeing at night and colors appearing less vibrant.
Cataracts generally develop gradually. When they begin interfering with everyday activities, cataract surgery can replace the cloudy natural lens with a clear artificial lens to restore clearer vision.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, affects the macula, the central portion of the retina responsible for detailed central vision.
AMD can make activities such as reading, recognizing faces and driving more difficult. Because changes may not always be obvious at first, routine eye examinations are an important part of monitoring retinal health as you age.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma refers to a group of eye diseases that can damage the optic nerve and lead to permanent vision loss. One of the challenges with glaucoma is that some of its most common forms can progress without noticeable symptoms until vision has already been affected.
Comprehensive eye exams can help detect signs of glaucoma earlier, allowing your eye doctor to recommend appropriate monitoring or treatment.
Diabetic Eye Disease
If you have diabetes, protecting your eyes is particularly important. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the retina and lead to diabetic retinopathy.
Keeping diabetes well managed and receiving regular dilated eye exams can help protect your vision and allow changes in the retina to be identified as early as possible.
Healthy Habits Can Support Healthy Vision
Although you cannot stop your eyes from aging, there are steps you can take to support your eye health throughout your life.
Start by making regular comprehensive eye exams a priority. Your eye doctor can evaluate more than how clearly you see. An examination can also assess the health of important structures within the eye and look for signs of conditions that may not yet be causing symptoms.
Your everyday habits matter, too. A balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables and nutrient-rich foods can support overall health, including your eyes. Staying physically active and managing conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are also important components of both healthy aging and eye health.
Protecting your eyes from ultraviolet exposure is another simple step. Wear sunglasses that provide UV protection when spending time outdoors, even when the weather does not feel particularly bright or hot.
Smoking can also increase the risk of several serious health problems, including certain eye diseases. If you smoke, quitting can benefit both your vision and your overall health.
Don’t Ignore Changes in Your Vision
It can be tempting to assume that every change in vision is simply part of getting older. However, new or worsening symptoms should be discussed with an eye care professional.
Schedule an eye examination if you notice changes such as persistent blurry vision, increased difficulty seeing at night, frequent changes to your glasses prescription or changes in your central or peripheral vision.
Some symptoms require more immediate attention. A sudden loss of vision, new flashes of light, a sudden increase in floaters or a dark curtain or shadow moving across your vision can indicate a potentially serious eye problem and should be evaluated promptly.
Eye Exams Are an Important Part of Healthy Aging
Healthy aging is about more than adding years to your life. It is also about maintaining your ability to participate in the activities and experiences that matter to you.
Clear, comfortable vision can support independence, mobility and quality of life as you get older. Regular eye care gives you and your eye doctor an opportunity to monitor changes over time, identify potential concerns and discuss treatment options when necessary.
This Healthy Aging Month, consider adding your vision to your healthy aging checklist. Whether it has been a while since your last comprehensive eye exam or you have noticed changes in your eyesight, the team at Chico Eye Center is here to help you care for your eyes through every stage of life.
Schedule an eye exam with Chico Eye Center and take an important step toward protecting your vision for the years ahead.