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Regular eye exams are key to protecting your vision. Photograph Courtesy: Inside Creative House/iStock

Welcome to Aging Well, a SymptomFind serial with tips to assistance you protect your health and well-beingness equally yous go older. This showtime edition focuses on eye health — and throughout the serial, we'll bring y'all trusted tips to help you stay strong, salubrious and independent for years to come.

Many eye diseases are more common in older adults. But vision loss does not take to exist a normal role of aging. In fact, you can make uncomplicated changes to your daily routine to lower your risk for eye diseases that crusade vision loss.

In this guide, we're offering evidence-based tips to aid yous protect your vision as you get older. Larn how changes you make today can protect your sight for a lifetime.

Yes, everyone's vision changes slightly equally they get older. Subsequently age 45, the lens of your eye doesn't focus as well — and that makes it harder to see things upwards close. That'southward why many older adults use glasses to read.

If yous're having trouble reading or seeing things up close, see your centre doctor for an examination. Your eye doctor may recommend prescription reading glasses or contacts, or you may exist able to use over-the-counter reading glasses.

While this small-scale vision change is a normal and expected part of crumbling, more serious vision changes and vision loss are not normal. Run across your doctor correct away if you discover changes in your vision.

Am I at Take chances for Eye Diseases?

Older adults are at higher risk for several eye diseases, including cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.

Cataracts are cloudy areas in the lens of your eye. More than half of Americans over age lxxx have had cataracts. The adept news is, a uncomplicated surgery can fix cataracts.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damages the nerve that connects your centre to your brain. Early on treatment can stop the damage and protect your sight.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an middle disease that makes your central vision blurry. People ages 55 and older are at higher risk for AMD, only at that place may be treatments that can help.

Diabetic middle disease is some other principal cause of vision loss in older adults. If you take diabetes, yous're at take chances for diabetic eye disease — and your risk gets higher as you get older.

Your risk for eye diseases may also exist higher depending on your race, gender, family history of centre diseases and any other health conditions you lot have. Talk with your doctor about your personal chance for eye affliction.

And remember, while your take chances for these eye bug goes up equally you age, you can still accept steps to protect your middle wellness. So don't surrender on your eyes!

How Can I Protect My Sight?

Taking care of your eye health can be as uncomplicated equally eating your veggies and remembering your sunglasses when you exit the business firm. Follow these six tips to protect your vision.

ane. Get Regular Eye Exams

Eye diseases that cause vision loss oftentimes have no early symptoms. So the but style to observe them early is to get regular heart exams. Your eye md can examination your vision and discover eye problems early, when they're easier to care for.

The National Eye Institute says that everyone over age 60 needs an center test every ane to two years. Simply depending on your adventure for heart diseases, yous may need to start getting eye exams earlier or go them more ofttimes. For example, people with diabetes may demand to get eye exams at least one time a year. Ask your physician how frequently you lot need an eye exam.

2. Eat Right for Your Sight

Good for you eating is primal to your overall wellness. It can help prevent conditions like diabetes that tin can damage your eyes. And certain foods have nutrients that can help protect your vision, including:

Leafy light-green veggies, similar spinach and collards
Dark orange veggies, like sweet potatoes and carrots
Fish that provide Omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon and tuna

And then eat plenty of colorful veggies and fatty fish as role of a good for you, counterbalanced nutrition.

3. Stay Agile to Keep Seeing Your Best

Regular physical activity is some other key way to stay healthy equally you get older. And it lowers your hazard for health conditions that can affect your vision, similar high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Try to get about two and half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. That's anything that raises your heart rate and makes y'all exhale faster, like walking, biking or swimming. You could do 30 minutes on five days a calendar week, or whatever schedule works for you. And at least two days a week, do an action that strengthens your muscles, like yoga, lifting weights or even conveying groceries.

If you're just getting started, practise as much as you lot tin and piece of work your style up to more! Even 5 minutes of walking a day tin can make a divergence.

iv. Manage Your Other Health Conditions

Health conditions like diabetes and high claret pressure level put you at higher risk for eye problems. So getting these conditions under control is central to protecting your sight.

For instance, if you have diabetes, controlling your blood sugar can lower your hazard for diabetic eye affliction. Talk with your doctor most the best way to manage your health weather.

5. Always Clothing Your Sunglasses

Ultraviolet (UV) light from the lord's day tin damage your eyes and heighten your hazard for cataracts. So it'southward important to clothing sunglasses that block UV calorie-free. Try to clothing your sunglasses whenever yous become out in the daytime — even if it's cloudy outside.

6. If Yous Fume, Quit

Smoking isn't but bad for your lungs and your overall wellness. It also raises your risk for AMD and cataracts. If you smoke, make a plan to quit.

Get Assistance Living with Vision Loss

If yous already have vision loss, there are lots of services and devices that can assist y'all brand the most of the sight you lot still have. These are sometimes chosen "low vision" or "vision rehab" services.

A specialist tin can assist you learn to do everyday tasks more hands. For example, you lot may need a magnifying device to aid you read, or you may demand to rearrange your piece of furniture to help you lot movement around your habitation amend. Ask your doctor about services and devices that can help y'all live ameliorate with low vision.

Resources Links:

"Healthy Aging Includes Healthy Vision" via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
"Aging and Your Eyes" via National Institute on Aging
"8 Things You Can Practise Right Now to Protect Your Vision" via National Eye Constitute
"36 Fabled Foods to Help Protect Your Vision" via American Academy of Ophthalmology
"The Low Down on Eye Exercises" via Harvard Medical School
"How Much Physical Activity Exercise Older Adults Need?" via CDC