Why Your Vision Changes As You Age

As you get older, your eyes go through several changes. Here are the most common ones and what they mean for your vision.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is why many people start holding books farther away after turning forty. The clear lens inside your eye normally changes shape to help you focus. As you age, this lens becomes stiffer and less flexible, making it harder to see things up close.

Presbyopia happens to everyone as they get older. Reading glasses, multifocal contact lenses, or bifocal contact lenses can easily correct it. Although glasses and contacts work well, some people choose surgery.

Cataracts

When your eye’s lens begins to cloud, you may have cataracts. Over time, small proteins in the lens that were once properly arranged lose their order and begin to clump. The result: colors lose their richness, everyday lights cause more glare, and nighttime vision begins to fade.

Cataracts develop slowly and are not painful. By age eighty, more than half of adults have cataracts or have had them removed. Surgery is quick and very successful. An eye doctor can replace the cloudy lens with a clear artificial one.

Dry Eye

As you get older, your eyes make fewer tears. The tears you do have might not have the right mix of water, oil, and mucus. Sometimes, the glands along your eyelids get clogged. This can leave your eyes feeling gritty or burning, especially later in the day.

Although dry eye is more common in women after menopause, anyone can get it. Artificial tears can help with mild symptoms. Prescription drops, small plugs, and treatments done in the office are ideal for more persistent cases.

Floaters and Flashes

As you grow older, the vitreous can shrink and begin to pull away from the retina. The vitreous is the gel in the center of your eye. Small fibers can clump together and cast shadows in your vision. They appear as specks or cobwebs drifting across your vision. These floaters are usually harmless.

But if you suddenly see a lot of floaters or flashes of light in your side vision, that could be a retinal tear or detachment, which needs immediate attention from an eye doctor.

Increased Risk of Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration

Getting older increases your risk for some serious eye diseases. Glaucoma, for example, damages the optic nerve, often because of high pressure inside the eye. It usually has no early symptoms. Vision loss starts at the edges and moves inward, and once it is gone, it cannot be restored.

Age-related macular degeneration affects the center of your retina. You might notice straight lines look wavy, or a dark or blurry spot appears in the middle of your vision. The dry form gets worse slowly, while the wet form can cause damage quickly. There are treatments for both, but catching it early is very important.

Some changes to your vision are unavoidable, but others can be slowed down or caught early. Aging does change how you see, but regular eye care and a few healthy habits can help keep your vision clear and your eyes healthy for many years.

If you want to learn more about how your vision changes with age, visit Wiregrass Eyecare of Ozark. Our office is in Ozark, Alabama. Call (334) 443-1260 to schedule an appointment.

https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-health-for-life/adult-vision-41-to-60-years-of-age

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/vision-and-vision-loss/aging-and-your-eyes