Most eye diseases don’t have any symptoms and may tend to develop without being noticed. But having regular eye checkups done will increase your chances of detecting diseases which can surely improve your chances of taking safety measures. Here are the common age-related eye diseases.
At this time, there are roughly 3.5 million Americans over the age of 40 years face some kind of vision loss due to age-related conditions. In fact, these people don’t go blind directly but gradually over a period of time they will definitely experience a slow loss of vision. But it’s clearly your responsibility as a caretaker to be aware of the warning signs of age-related eye disease that can cause vision loss.
1. Age-Related Macular Degeneration
This is an example of an eye disease that affects the macula of your eye and may cause central vision loss. Although this is a small part of your eye, the macula is also a part of the retina that gives you the ability to see fine detail and colors. Basic day-to-day activities such as driving, reading, watching TV and also recognizing people require good central vision which is provided by the macula.
2. Cataracts
Apart from this, cataracts form over time as cloudy areas in the part of your eyes that are meant to remain clear. Therefore, the location and size of cataracts can surely affect your normal vision. In addition to this, cataracts tend to develop in both eyes but one eye usually has a worse case of cataracts than the other. Cataracts are responsible for decreased contrast sensitivity, sensitivity to glares, dulling of colors and blurry vision.
3. Diabetic Retinopathy
As a matter of fact, this condition is most common in people that suffer from diabetes. This is due to gradual damage to the small blood vessels that nurture the retina. Over time, the damaged blood vessels begin to leak blood and other fluids that will cause the retinal tissue to swell and cloud your vision. The instability of a person’s glucose intake can also increase or decrease the impact of the condition. Also, diabetic retinopathy is capable of causing blindness if not treated in time.
4. Glaucoma
It should be noted that glaucoma may lead to a loss of both sides and peripheral vision due to optic nerve damage which is usually associated with high eye pressure. And it’s clear that glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the US and can affect people of all ages but is usually the most common in elderly people. It is vital that the symptoms of glaucoma are caught early on through screening by an eye professional to avoid total blindness.
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