Preventing Eye Problems as You Age

As you reach your 40s, 50s, and 60s, your eyesight naturally starts to fail. This is a natural part of aging, but it does not have to mean the end of your good vision. There are plenty of things you can do that will help reduce your chances of seeing harmful eye problems as you age.

Of course, you will always have some eye failure as your eyes age, just as you will have other muscle failure and breakdown. But there are certain eye problems you can avoid. Here is a handy list of normal symptoms, and some problems that are not so normal that you can avoid:

 

Normal signs of aging eyes:

Trouble with reading small print: Reading small print is one of the harder tasks you can put your eyes through. As you age, it becomes harder to focus on small things. There isn’t much you can do about it, but if you want to try, there are a wide variety of eye exercises available that might help.

Losing nearsighted vision: For some reason, when you get older, it is harder to read things when they are near your face. Many people become farsighted as they age. This is normal, and there is not much you can do about it.

Trouble focusing on screens: Screens can wreak havoc on the eyes, and as you age, the problems become worse. The reason that looking at a screen is so difficult is because the image is actually refreshing all the time. This makes it harder to focus and tires the eyes quickly. As you age, you will have to take more breaks from staring at a screen all day.

 

Abnormal signs of aging eyes:

Cataracts: Cataracts are simply the build up of proteins around the iris. Too much build up will cause gradual vision loss until the point of blindness. A healthy diet can prevent some cataracts, but most people see some cataract clouding eventually. Surgery can help clear the eyes and restore vision.

 

Glaucoma: Glaucoma is caused by increased fluid pressure inside the eye. This slowly damages the optic nerve and blocks vision. This will cut down on peripheral vision and can also lead to complete vision loss if left untreated. You can cut down on the risk of glaucoma by eating a healthy diet and maintaining normal blood pressure.

So, how can you prevent damaging your eyes as you age? Although there is nothing that will completely restore your vision to what it was when you were younger, there are certain steps you can take that will help you maintain clear vision. Other than wearing glasses and contact lenses to improve your vision, you can also eat a diet rich in dark green leafy vegetables, fish, and carrots. There are also several vitamins available that you can take that will help retain your vision. Your eye doctor may be able to recommend specific vitamins that you can take.

Aging causes problems in every part of the body, but you don’t have to give in and accept total defeat. There are several things you can try that will help slow the signs of aging in your eyes. The better you treat your eyes, the longer they will provide you with healthy vision.