HEALTHY VISION FOR LIFE
Want to keep your vision healthy for life?
1-Get regular eye exams even if you think “you see well and do not need glasses”. Early detection is key to preventing irreversible vision loss. The eye exam is not about wearing glasses, but more about diagnosing eye disease you may not be aware of.
2-Normal age related vision changes:
-Presbyopia: your arms are getting too short and the “flexible lens” in your eye loses the ability to change focus: you will need to consider bifocals or progressives lenses called multifocals. Glasses, Contact lenses or both.
-Cataracts: the lens in the eye becomes cloudy preventing the light from reaching the retina. Until the acuity is bad enough, vision could be improved with glasses or contact lenses. At some point, the vision is so bad that surgery becomes necessary: the clouded lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens.
3- Other changes in the eye:
-Spots and floaters: although these gel like material floating inside the eye could be harmless, it could also signify the presence of serious eye problems, such as retinal detachment or complications of high blood pressure or diabetes.
-Diabetic retinopathy: It is a condition occurring in persons with diabetes, which causes progressive damage to the retina. It is a serious sight threatening complication of diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is the result of damage to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina. They leak blood and other fluids that cause swelling of the tissue and clouding of vision. If left untreated, it can cause blindness.
-Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders leading to progressive damage to the Optic nerve and is characterized by loss of nerve tissue resulting in loss of vision. It is often associated with an increase in the fluid pressure inside the eye. This, increase pressure may cause progressive damage to the optic nerve and vision loss may occur and even be the cause of blindness.
-Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in America. It results from changes to the macula, the portion of the retina that is responsible for clear and sharp vision in the back of the eye. There are 2 forms of macular degeneration: Wet and dry. Research has shown in the recent years, that certain vitamins and minerals may help prevent or slow the progression of macular degeneration.
All of these conditions are painless, and often, vision stays good for a long time. Once the vision goes, it is mostly irreversible which is why IT IS PRIMORDIAL EVERYONE GETS A YEARLY EYE EXAM for early detection only picked up when you are sitting in the chair!