Are you a retirement-age person who has started to suspect their vision is declining? You may just be experiencing diminished vision due to the natural aging process, but it's also possible that a more serious underlying condition is contributing to your vision loss. These conditions are treatable and manageable, but a diagnosis is an important first step towards that treatment. Here's a look at three common conditions that can lead to vision loss in people around retirement age.
Cataracts
Cataracts occur when the lens of your eye, which is meant to be clear, starts to become cloudy. They're not always obvious at first. Your vision may seem cloudy at night and maybe a bit less clear during the day, especially in dim lighting. As time goes on, you can actually see the cloudiness in your eye as you look in the mirror. Cataracts will eventually render you nearly blind, but the good news is that cataract surgery is safe, effective, and common. Your surgeon can remove the cloudy lens, put an artificial one in place, and restore your vision.
Macular Degeneration
The macula is a part of your retina, the part of your eye that senses light and sends messages through your optic nerve. As you age, it can start to basically wear out due to a disease called macular degeneration. Vision loss caused by macular degeneration usually starts in the center of your visual field. You might feel like you can clearly see to the sides, but not straight ahead. Colors may also appear less vibrant. There are medications you can take to slow the progress of macular degeneration, and there are also surgical procedures that can stop the macula from breaking down any further. There is no way to recover vision you have already lost, though, so early diagnosis and treatment is key.
Diabetic Retinopathy
This condition is caused by the deterioration of the retina due to sustained high blood sugar levels. If you have never been diagnosed with diabetes, you might assume you can't have diabetic retinopathy. But unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there with undiagnosed diabetes. If you're dealing with vision loss, it's smart to get your blood glucose levels checked just to make sure. Diabetic retinopathy often causes vision to grow increasingly blurry over time. It affects both eyes and may also lead to dark spots in the vision field. Getting your blood sugar under control will go a long way towards treating it.
Vision loss is never something to ignore, especially at retirement age when it is often indicative of one of the conditions above. Talk to your eye doctor if your vision is suffering.
