Seniors Site

Taking Care of Your Aging Eyes

Imagine a life without an eyesight, or perhaps one day you’ll wake up and discover a world that is much lesser in color and not as bright as it once was. As we grow older, our vision is expected to undergo some changes. While there are few others who made it to their golden years with as little as few prescription eyeglasses, almost half of the senior population is not as lucky–bound to completely lose their eyesight anytime soon. Unfortunately, this is all because they have failed to take care of their eyes.

According to eye experts, age is not the only contributing factor for failing eyesight. Age, although closely associated to eye problems, is only one of the many factors which results to an eye problem. For one, there is an existing hereditary factor which is present right after a person is conceived. Next is the lifestyle we chose to lead. Bottomline is, when you start to consider your eyes as a separate entity which needs to be taken care of, you increase your chances of delaying–if not preventing altogether–eye problems from happening. Here are some tips on how to minimize your risk early on:

·    Once you reach the age of 40, start visiting an eye doctor for regular checkups. Also, take note of any disease that you may have right now. Diabetes is a disease known to affect one’s eyesight. If you have one, you should take extra care of your eyes once you notice slight abnormalities and even before it.
·    Having a poor eyesight is an accident waiting to happen. A senior with an eye problem is prone to slips and falls increasing their chances of fractures. Failing eyesight cannot be stopped once it transpires, but some safety measures can be applied such as installing brighter lights all throughout the house.
·    Smoking can cause age-related macular degeneration.
·    The sun’s glare is also damaging for your eyes. Never look at it directly for whatever reason and protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses when you go out.
·    Have your daily dose of vitamins A, C and E. They are good for your eyes.  Examples of which are carrots, fruits and spinach.
·    Prevention is always better than cure—the same cannot be said enough for your eyes.
·    Eye injuries can occur anytime. Protect your eyes at all times especially when you come in contact with potential causes like spray cans and cleaning products.
·    Heed its call. When your eyes are tired, it will definitely let you know. Once it does, then its time to give it its much-deserved rest.
·    It is common for seniors to experience eyes that are either extremely dry or annoyingly wet. It happens when your tear glands are not working properly anymore. Eye drops can help you alleviate these symptoms and it must come with a prescription. Talk to your eye doctor about it.