As with the rest of our bodies, our eyes can change due to aging. From simply needing new eyeglass prescriptions to combatting conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, we need to take care of this valuable sense. Knowing ways to preserve your eyesight as you age can help keep some of the issues at bay.
Question: Fortunately, my vision has remained stable for decades. What can I do to help preserve my eyesight as I get older?
Answer: Indeed just getting older increases the risk of vision loss. Aging can trigger several changes in the eyes that increase the risk for certain conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration. In people with this disorder, cells in the macula within the retina no longer function well. Not smoking and eating plenty of green leafy vegetables may help slow down the central vision loss that can occur.
Age also increases the risk for glaucoma — damage to the optic nerve that carries visual signals to the brain. Glaucoma is closely linked to abnormally high eye pressure that builds up when the eye’s drainage system no longer works properly. Get periodic measurements of the pressure in your eyes.
High blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels throughout the body. In the eyes, damaged blood vessels can leak, causing swelling or bleeding in the retina (light-sensitive tissue responsible for vision) or swelling in the central part of the retina (the macula). Both conditions can lead to vision loss.
Keeping blood sugar levels well controlled with diet, exercise and medication if needed helps prevent these complications.
High blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels and smoking not only are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, they also contribute to eye problems.
High blood pressure causes wear and tear on blood vessels in the eyes, which makes them more likely to form clots that block blood flow in retinal arteries and veins. High pressure inside these eye vessels also increases the chance they will leak. High levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol also contribute to eye vessel damage and clot formation.
Smoking is a risk factor for many eye conditions. It increases inflammation in the body and in the eye, and acts as an accelerant to any aging or degenerative process in the retina. Smokers are more likely to develop cataracts and macular degeneration.
Spending too much time sitting and not remaining physically active increases your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Those conditions, in turn, boost your risk for eye disease.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that you get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at age 40, even if you don’t have any known eye disease. After that, you’ll need a comprehensive eye exam every few years (depending on your health) until you’re 65. Then you’ll need a screening every year or two — more frequently if you have eye disease.
Howard LeWine, M.D. is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu.
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