While people shouldn’t necessarily be overly concerned with slight vision changes as they get older, they need to understand that some changes could be indicative of a serious problem, reported Journal Advocate recently.
According to a section of the article citing the BrightFocus Foundation, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma are the two most common eye impairment issues in older Americans. In fact, up to 11 million Americans have some type of AMD — either the dry form or the more serious wet form — and in excess of 3 million Americans have some sort of glaucoma.
According to the article, AMD is an eye disease that adversely impacts the center region of the retina, which is known as the macula. The disease progressively destroys central vision, rather than peripheral vision, and can make it difficult for sufferers to watch television, read books, drive vehicles, and even recognize the faces of friends, family and acquaintances. AMD is the primary cause of vision impairment in Americans who are 60 years old and above. AMD is also No. 2 on the list of eye diseases that are the most common causes irreversible blindness.
The article mentioned a number of tips for safeguarding eye health. These include eating lots of produce and fish like halibut and salmon that contain substantial amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Exercising every day will boost the immune system, ward off hypertension and facilitate maintaining an ideal body weight. Quitting or staying away from smoking is important because people who smoke are more likely to come down with AMD than are people who do not smoke. Using high-quality sunglasses manufactured with a 99% or 100% UV-A and UV-B protection rating will also help to keep the eyes safe. Going in for regular, thorough dilated eye exams is also critical. Previous research has suggested that people who have a family history of AMD face an increased risk of also being diagnosed with the eye disease. So such people may need to see their doctors more often.
The sorts of warning signs that necessitate a trip to the doctor’s office include vision loss, sudden blurred vision, strong sensitivity to light and pain in the eye region.
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