Why Vision Gets Worse With Age

Why Vision Gets Worse With AgeDeterioration of vision with age is most often associated with macular degeneration. It is a slowly progressing, irreversible in their effects eye disease. Other causes that lead to vision problems are myopia, hyperopia and cataracts. In the case of eye diseases, the treatment should be implemented immediately. Its supplement should be a proper diet, rich in vitamins and lutein.

What are the reasons that vision worsens with age?
With the passage of time, many inevitable and irreversible changes occur in the body – we begin to notice the progressive impairment of the functioning of the system as a whole, as well as its individual components.

This situation also applies to sight, to deterioration of efficiency which is complained to the vast majority of patients over 50 years of age. There are many known causes that can lead to the deterioration of vision, among those associated with age, the most common are macular degeneration and deepening the already existing eye defect, which is myopia.

The spot of the yolk is the area of ​​the retina, within which there is the largest cluster of photosensitive cells (so-called photoreceptors) in the body, especially those that are responsible for the sharp color vision (these are suppositories). With age, in these cells there are progressive and irreversible changes, as a result of which photoreceptors (and in particular suppositories) die, and thus their number within the macula decreases.

Degeneration associated with age is a slowly progressing, irreversible in their effects eye disease. Symptoms at the onset of the disease are usually discreetly expressed, sometimes barely perceptible, even by the patient himself (often the patient notices them until he closes one eye), but with the passage of time their severity increases.

What are the symptoms of macular degeneration?
The most frequently reported by the patients themselves symptoms that may indicate a developing disease are:

  • blurring of the image which is particularly annoying when looking in front of you;
  • unclear colors (patients often describe them as faded);
  • distortion of image contours (contours may appear wavy, irregular);
  • there may be a gray or black dot in the field of view that does not move.

Early recognition of age-related macular degeneration is very important, because in the case of this disease it is possible to slow down or even slow its progression, although it should be emphasized that the methods of withdrawal of the disease are not known so far. The most important role in the treatment of the disease is attributed to appropriate and extensive prevention.

Preventive actions should include both a generally conceived healthy lifestyle, which through a diet and physical effort tailored to our needs will contribute to the prevention of atherosclerosis and its complications. A good eyesight diet should be rich in fat-soluble vitamins and lutein.

It is also very important to look after the eye itself – for example by protecting the eyes against excessive lighting. In advanced cases of this disease, the treatment with choice is specialized ophthalmic surgeries, including the use of appropriate lasers.

Short-sightedness, cataracts and far-sightedness
Myopia is one of the most common sight defects in the general population. It consists in the fact that the rays that penetrate the eye are not focused on the retina (as is the case in the normopic eye, or sighted correctly), only in front of it. This results in blurred vision, especially when looking at distant objects, or seeing things near close. Treatment involves the use of properly selected corrective glasses.

Other causes of worsening of vision related to age include:

  • long-sighted age – in this disease, due to increasing age with stiffness, inter alia, the lens, focuses the rays falling into the eye not on the retina, but behind it, resulting in a blurred image when looking at objects located close;
  • senile cataract – or clouding of the lens of the eye, which appears in people over 50 years of age, leading to gradual deterioration of the eye (the initial symptom of this disease may be seeing objects as if through a fog).

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