Healthy Eyes Across the Lifespan
September is celebrated as Healthy Aging month, by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, to highlight vision issues that can affect adults age 65 plus. As we age comes the increased likelihood of eye disease. Yearly dilated eye exams play an important role in detection of these diseases. Adults 65 and older should have a yearly exam with either an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Some eye diseases don’t have any symptoms! Yearly exams can detect subtle changes in the structures of your eyes before you may even notice a change in vision. A dilated eye exam allows your eye doctor to examine the health of your eye from front to back.
Some common eye diseases your doctor will check for include:
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – affects the macula, which is the center of the retina and responsible for reading vision.
- Cataracts – are a clouding of the natural lens of the eye. Visit our cataract blog post from June 2019 to learn more about the different types of cataracts and some of the visual symptoms people may experience.
- Diabetic retinopathy – changes affecting the blood vessels in the retina due to complications from diabetes.
- Glaucoma – affects the optic nerve of the eye, commonly referred to as high pressure which is a component of glaucoma.
Early diagnosis and treatment are the best ways to minimize vision loss.
Vision loss does not have to go hand-in-hand with aging. Adults ages 18-64 should have an eye exam at least every 2 years unless they are at risk for developing eye diseases, and then they should have an exam yearly or as recommended by their eye doctor. School age children should have yearly eye exams.
Making an eye exam part of your routine health care is a central component of maintaining vision across the lifespan. A healthy diet, exercise & weight-control, smoking status and protecting your eyes from the harmful UV rays of the sun also aid in maintaining vision.
Call us today at 919-282-1100 or visit us online at www.kellyeyecenter.com to schedule your exam. Life is beautiful, see it clearly!