Understanding what happens to your eyesight as you age
Ageing is a normal part of life. Just like other parts of the body, eyes show signs of ageing too. Age-related changes, such as presbyopia, are normal and don’t indicate any serious signs of a disease. However, there are diseases that do have the potential to change your vision dramatically, including glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
As we grow older, subtle shifts and changes with our eyes and vision take place. While many people believe the ageing of the eyes relates to conditions, such as presbyopia and cataracts, there is more going on under the surface than you may realise. You may have noticed changes to your eyes or vision once you turned 40 but for most eye conditions, the risks increase once you hit 70 or 80. Apart from ageing, other factors that can have a negative impact on your eye health include: diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Here’s some of the changes to expect with your eyesight.
Dry eyes. Are you someone who cried throughout a particularly emotional tear-jerker film when you were younger? Well, you may not have that problem for much longer, since bodies produce fewer tears as they age. This may have been something over-60s women noticed after menopause. For those who experience any eye discomfort to dry eyes, artificial tears can be used throughout the day for comfort. Alternatively, consult your optometrist for other options.
Reduced pupil size. The muscles that control the pupil size and reaction of our eyes to light start to lose some of their strength as we age. Due to this, over-60s need three times more ambient lighting for comfortable reading than people in their 20s, as the reduced pupil size causes it to become smaller and less responsive to changes in lighting. It can also mean that when emerging from a dark cinema room to bright sunlight, over-60s are more prone to be stunned by the light. Anti-reflective coating on eyeglasses can limit this from occurring.
Reduced colour vision. As we age, cells in the retina that are responsible for normal colour vision decrease in sensitivity, causing colours to become less bright and the contrast between different colours to be less noticeable. There is no treatment for this perfectly normal part of getting older, but it’s important to be aware of it, particularly if your job requires good colour dissemination.
Peripheral vision loss. The size of field generally decreases by about one to three degrees per decade of life. This means that by the time you reach your 70s and 80s, you may have a lost between 20 to 30 degrees. Peripheral vision is important for driving, so this loss of peripheral visual field increases the risk for car accidents. This happens to everyone and is an accepted part of ageing. For drivers over the age of 60, it’s important to be a cautious driver. While reduced peripheral vision may impact what you can see easily when your line of sight is directly in front of you, turning your head and looking both ways when approaching intersections reduces the risk of any accidents.
Spot the “floaters”. Ever noticed a little speck or spot in your eye? If you have, these are what’s known as floaters, a gel-like vitreous inside the eye that begins to liquefy and pull away from the retina. This causes spots, specks or floaters. It’s another normal part of ageing and is usually harmless, but if you’re worried, seek the advice of your optometrist.