It is a fact that people tend to live longer today than in years past. The longer people live, the more we find out how our bodies, including our eyes, are affected by the world around us and by age in general. More and more, research is finding that as we age, there are simply some things which will happen to organs such as our eyes. So what can we expect as we get older? What is normal and what is not? Take a look with us at some of the issues we can expect as we age.
NOTE: remember that if you experience changes in your eyes, you should schedule an appointment with your optometrist to be sure that it is something normal and not something which may require more serious actions such as surgery or medication. Even if the symptoms may seem small or normal, it is still important to let a skilled optometrist make this decision. Don’t risk your eye health, get them checked!
Common Age Related Changes
While not everyone may experience a lot of change, especially those who exercise, avoid harmful behavior and eat right, most of us will experience at least some age related changes especially:
- The need for more light when reading or just seeing in general – As we age our eyes become less effective in darker areas. One reference even states that it can be twice as much light from the age of 30 to 50. Whatever the percentage, the fact remains that no matter how many carrots you eat, you may need to use more light as the tiny muscles in your irises become less able to adjust to the amount of light in a room.
- The need to have glasses to see up close – Presbyopia is generally considered an age related eye change which affects our near vision. Considered quite normal, the effects can be countered with classes for reading or perhaps even some corrective eye surgery such as keratoplasty.
- Difficulty driving at night – From adjusting to glare from headlights to reduced contrast sensitivity and decreased ability to judge depth perception, driving usually becomes more difficult at night for all these and other reasons. Our eyes lose elasticity and our muscles may slow, making each of these issues become more pronounced as we age. For glare, many choose to have an anti-reflective coating on their eyeglasses to help reduce this problem.
- Reduced tear production – It is a fact, the older we get, the fewer tears our eyes produce. No matter if you are a man or a woman, this is not uncommon, though it is more common for women. When this occurs, you have a few choices. For minor cases, over the counter artificial tears may be what you need, however, for more serious cases, your eye doctor may prescribe prescription eye medications or even suggest surgery.
If you are looking for an eye surgeon in Cheboygan Mi, Alpine Eye Care is the right choice. Offering years of experience as well as a caring staff and a convenient location in Cheboygan, Alpine Eye Care can assist you with all your eye care needs. Whether you are new to the area and looking for an eye doctor in Cheboygan Mi or experiencing eye issues and looking for a qualified eye surgeon in Cheboygan, contact us to set up an appointment at 877.SEE.2020, where patient care comes first.