From age 60, it is necessary to undergo an annual eye exam in order to detect any age-related eye diseases, such as:
Glaucoma
It is a disease associated with the increase in eye pressure that causes damages in the optic nerve.
It is usually asymptomatic, which means it has no symptoms, until the loss of vision field becomes irreversible. Therefore, it is essential to treat it as soon as possible as, in the long run, if the disease is not treated, it may lead to a sever vision loss or even to blindness. With an early treatment, the disease progression may be stopped.
Cataracts
With age, a gradual crystalline lens clouding takes place. It is known as cataract. It must always be surgically treated.
The patient suffering from cataracts may experience:
Diabetic retinopathy
It is a diabetes-related disease due to a progressive alteration of blood vessels that nourish the retina. This causes an extravasation and accumulation of liquids in the retinal layers that leads to a thickening of the retinal tissue and a blurriness in vision. It usually affects both eyes and in most severe cases it may lead to blindness, reason why it is important to early diagnose it and treat it as soon as possible.
Age-related macular degeneration
It is a disease that appears with ageing and causes an erosion of retinal nervous tissue cells in the macula, the central retinal area, thus leading to a loss of central vision. It is essential to get an early diagnosis for this disease if the central vision wants to be preserved, especially if distortions in straight lines vision are observed. Dry macular degeneration progresses slowly, while wet macular degeneration progresses very quickly.
Dry eye
It usually causes discomfort such as itching, foreign body sensation and burning sensation. It may be caused by a low tear production or bad quality tears production, thus leading to a malfunction in moisturizing and protecting the eye. It is usually a chronic disease, especially from the age of 60.
| Eye tips after for adults over 60 | |
|---|---|
| Find out whether you are at a higher risk of developing an eye disease. | Find out whether you have a family history of diabetes or high blood pressure and have your eyes checked regularly. |
| Pay attention to any signs of vision changes. | In case of experiencing blurred or double vision, or vision of distorted straight lines, vision problems in dim light conditions, redness, floaters, eye pain or swelling, you should go and see the ophthalmologist. |
| Exercise your body | It may reduce up to a 70% the risk of suffering macular degeneration. |
| Protect your eyes from ultraviolet sun rays | Use approved protective sunglasses with the appropriate filter in order to reduce the changes of suffering cataracts, pterigion and other eye conditions. |
| Eat healthy by keeping a well-balanced diet | Several studies have shown that antioxidants which are present in vegetables and fruit could reduce the risk of suffering from cataracts. Fish and its omega-3 fatty acids could also reduce the risk of macular degeneration. |
| Go to comprehensive eye exams once a year | Your eye fundus will be examined in order to rule out optic nerve or retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, which may be present and show no symptoms. |
| Do not smoke | Tobacco consumers are at a higher risk of developing macular degeneration, cataracts, uveitis and other eye conditions. |
| Be careful not to fall down | Avoid eye trauma that may lead to eye diseases. |
Our goal is to ensure that our patients recover their vision and that they do so depending as little as possible on their glasses.
Glaucoma entails a loss of the vision field, usually asymptomatic until later stages of the disease. If it is not treated properly, it can induce blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy is a vascular disease secondary to diabetes. Diabetes damages the small blood vessels of the retina due to the metabolic decompensation that it causes.
AMD it is a pathology that affects the central vision. It progresses as the patient’s age increases and can lead to blindness if not treated early.
Contact us or request an appointment with one of our specialists.
