Coping with Age-Related Vision Changes

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Posted on Thursday, February 18th, 2016 by Dr. Robert Mack

As your body changes with age, so do your eyes. Over time, you may experience age-related vision changes, including blurred vision, difficulty focusing, and dry eyes. You and your eye doctor will develop a personalized plan for eye care in Hoffman Estates that addresses your unique needs throughout your lifetime.

Increase Ambient Light

Over time, your eyes require more light to see clearly and focus than they did in the past. The best way to increase visual acuity and reduce eye strain as you age is to pay attention to the lighting conditions in your home and your workspace. Making sure you have sufficient focused task lighting when reading or working will improve your overall comfort and convenience at work and at home.

Treat Dry Eyes

Dry eye symptoms often occur as the body ages and affects the eyes’ ability to produce tears. Talking to your ophthalmologist about the best treatment solutions can help you relieve the effects of dry eyes and prevent discomfort and blurred vision that could affect your quality of life and even safety while driving or performing other intensive tasks. There are several dry eye treatment options available, including oral medication, eye drops, and IPL therapy.

Eyeglasses and Contacts

Even if you have never worn glasses or contacts before, changes in your eyes due to age may cause blurred vision due to difficulty focusing. Over time, the lens inside your eye loses flexibility, which often leads to trouble when focusing on objects that are nearby. Your ophthalmologist can evaluate your vision and prescribe eyeglasses or contacts to counteract this effect and improve your ability to see objects at all distances. If you don’t want to wear glasses or contacts, you may be a candidate for refractive surgery, which could improve your vision without the need for corrective lenses.

Maintaining good eye health is easy with the help of a qualified ophthalmologist serving Hoffman Estates. Continuing to schedule annual eye exams and alerting your eye doctor to any changes in vision that you notice are the best ways to monitor your vision as you age.

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