With increasing age, several changes take place within our bodies, and the eyes are no exception. Aging can drastically affect your vision and, to a great extent, your quality of life, which is a fact believed by the best eye hospital in Kolkata, Pushpanjali Eye Care. In this blog, we look at how vision changes with age, the common conditions related to aging, and how our expert team here at Pushpanjali Eye Care can assist you in dealing with these changes.
Table of Contents
Understanding Changes in Age-Related Vision
With aging, changes in the eyes that may affect vision will occur. The following is how these changes may arise and what they mean for you:
Presbyopia: This is one of the general features that essentially appears when the individual attains the age of 40. It includes the partial loss of the eye’s focusing ability towards the near object, the reason for which is because of the thickening and hardening of the lens in the eye. This can even make reading or viewing minute details difficult to handle.
Cataract: In cataract conditions, generally evolving very slowly, the clouding of the eye’s lens decreases vision due to dimming down the clarity of the object observed and enhancing glare sensitivity.
Glaucoma: Glaucoma is the silent thief of sight because it features an increase in intraocular pressure that may damage your optic nerve and cause blind spots, unless treated with much-needed haste.
Macular Degeneration: Macular degeneration is age-related and involves the macula, a tissue at the back of your eye, which is responsible for sharp, central vision. This results in causing blurred or distorted vision; in worst cases, central vision may be lost.
Diabetic Retinopathy: With advancing age, diabetic patients are at a high risk of diabetic retinopathy, wherein with high blood sugar, the blood vessels in the retina may get damaged.
How These Changes Affect Your Daily Life
Aging may affect your vision in ways that impact different aspects of your life. Knowing how this may happen can help you take active steps toward taking good care of your eyes:
Reading and Close Work: When it becomes more difficult to focus on close objects such as reading or sewing, this becomes quite frustrating. Typically Presbyopia has to be helped with reading glasses or bifocal lenses.
Driving: Some complaints include poor night vision, glare from oncoming headlights, or an inability to read road signs easily. Cataracts and macular degeneration make driving more difficult at night.
Recognizing Faces: When there is a loss of central vision, for instance, due to macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, an individual finds it challenging to recognize faces and see minute details.
Balance and Mobility: A change in vision tends to affect the balance and spatial sense of an individual, thereby increasing the risk of falls and injuries.
Latest Treatments and Solutions Available at Best Eye Hospital in Kolkata
At Pushpanjali Eye Care, we have some of the latest modern treatments to take care of changes in your vision with growing age. Our advanced facilities and expert team will ensure that the best care and solutions are extended to you.
1. Presbyopia Management
Reading Glasses: These can be personalized for each individual’s needs in vision and will help you see close-up text clearly.
Bifocal and Progressive Lenses: These lenses eliminate the fussy line that bifocals bring with them by offering a smooth transition to each different zone of vision. It also reduces the effort needed to be switching to and from each pair of glasses.
Another medical option is refractive Surgery: This includes LASIK or LASIK for Presbyopia, which is performed to restore vision without necessarily having a need for reading glasses anymore.
2. Cataract Treatment
Premium IOLs: These new, sophisticated IOLs correct not only cataract issues but also other vision problems, such as astigmatism or presbyopia. This can widen your total range of vision.
Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery: This is a new technique used to do cataract surgery due to the precision achieved with lasers. The result is minimum disruption and faster recovery.
Phacoemulsification: A less invasive version where ultrasound is applied to break up the cloudy lens before aspiration through a small incision, after which the lens will be implanted.
3. Glaucoma Management
Medicament: It can be treated by using eye drops or oral medications, both of which reduce intraocular pressure and prevent further damage.
Laser Therapy: It may include treatments such as laser iridotomy or laser trabeculoplasty; these provide an advantage by improving drainage of fluid out of the eye, hence reducing its pressure.
Surgical Options: The surgery creates a new pathway for the drainage of aqueous fluid, mostly employed in advanced stages to manage the pressure within the eye.
4. Macular Degeneration Solutions
Anti-VEGF Injections: These injections help in reducing the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina. This slows down the vision loss.
Photodynamic Therapy: This involves the usage of medication that is sensitive to light and a special laser that destroys abnormal blood vessels.
Low Vision Aids: These are devices, such as magnifiers and special eye glasses, that may serve to maximize remaining vision and enhance daily functioning.
5. Care of Diabetic Retinopathy
Regular Eye Exams: Frequent check-ups can monitor changes in the retina and detect early signs of diabetic retinopathy.
Laser Treatment: Laser therapy can reduce swelling and prevent further vision loss by targeting damaged blood vessels.
Vitrectomy: In extreme cases, blood or scar tissue sometimes needs to be surgically removed from the retina.
Need an eye exam if you have any of the following symptoms:
Blurry or double vision
Difficulty seeing clearly at night
Frequent headaches or eye strain
Difficulty reading or performing close-up work
2. What preventative measures can I take to help protect my vision over the course of my life?
Yes, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can go a long way in ocular health. Here’s how:
Eat a healthy, well-rounded diet abundant in vitamins and antioxidants
Wear sunglasses offering protection from UV rays
Keep a normal weight; keep chronic diseases like diabetes under control
Do not smoke, abstain from excessive drinking
Exercise regularly and follow up on eye exams
3. What can I expect during a routine eye examination at Pushpanjali Eye Care?
A comprehensive eye exam at our centre includes:
Discussion in detail about your symptoms and medical history
Visual acuity tests that determine how clear your vision is at varying distances
Eye pressure for glaucoma
Dilated eye exams to examine the retina and optic nerve
Any additional testing based on your needs and concerns
4. How long does it take to recover from cataract or glaucoma surgery?
Answers to this depend on the type of surgery:
Cataract Surgery: Most patients start to see well within a few days after the surgery. It may, however, take a couple of weeks for total healing to take place.
Glaucoma Surgery: This takes several weeks in which follow-up will be necessary to monitor the progress toward recovery and adjustment of treatment.
5. Will I still need glasses after my surgery?
While most patients enjoy excellent, glasses-free vision following surgery, results may vary from patient to patient. Our ophthalmologists will discuss your individual needs and options with you during your visit.
Explore age-related vision changes and expert care at Pushpanjali Eye Care, the leading eye hospital in Kolkata.
Conclusion
More specifically, understanding how age affects one’s vision and how to deal with these changes can be very important in terms of the quality of life. That’s why Pushpanjali Eye Care—one of the best eye hospitals in Kolkata—is committed to providing the best care and most innovative treatments, tailored according to your needs. Our dedicated team is deeply committed to serving you through all of life’s challenges regarding age and its impact on your vision, by providing tailor-made solutions with the help of advanced technology.
Our committed team is here to assure eye health and well-being, offering state-of-the-art advancements in eye care.
