If you’ve been wearing eyeglasses for some time now, you’ve probably had to adjust your eye prescription a few times.
It’s common to have constantly changing eye prescriptions. The usual reason behind this phenomenon is age-related. The unfortunate reality is that the older you get, vision quality will gradually change.
Not everybody will have the same issues. For many people , the increase in eyeglass grade won’t be a significantly huge jump. More importantly, it’s very rare for vision to get so bad that you eventually end up blind.
However, some vision problems are brought about by serious health issues. Below are some of these special cases.
Cataracts
Cataracts are comprised of cloudy or blurry areas in the eye that can seriously disrupt vision. There are several factors that can contribute to cataracts, such as myopia, diabetes, too much smoking, and excessive exposure to ultraviolet light.
How to know if cataracts are the issue? You’ll start noticing fuzzy or blurry vision when engaging you’re usual activities. For some people, it is particularly noticeable during night driving.
Additionally, the risk of cataracts developing comes hand in hand with age. So if you or anyone you know starts exhibiting some major symptoms, best to contact top eye experts or cataract surgeons for the best advice.
Macular degeneration
The name comes from a part of the retina which helps with vision. The macula degenerates as a result of pigment changes within the retina.
There are two scenarios that can take place: dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration. The former affects light-sensitive cells within the eye and the latter involves the presence of abnormal blood vessels which start bleeding out.
A number of factors can increase the likelihood of macular degeneration, including genetics and heavy smoking. For persistent smokers, this may be a good reason to kick the habit sooner rather than later.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma affects the optic nerve of the eye. This is a serious issue as the optic nerve is connected to millions of nerve fibers that run all the way to the brain. Pressure build-up within the eye (e.g. blocked blood vessels, eye infection) can exert significant damage to the optic nerve.
Aside from blurred vision, people with glaucoma will also experience eye pain. There are number of medications and surgical methods that can treat glaucoma and there are high rates of success.
Presbyopia
When short range vision starts to deteriorate shortly after reaching 40 years old, the issue is often linked to Presbyopia. People with this condition will normally hold reading materials at a certain distance to see them more clearly.
Compared to the ones mentioned earlier, presbyopia is significantly less serious. It’s a normal part of the aging process. A good way to delay the onset of this condition is to frequently take a break from blue light exposure (e.g. watching TV, scrolling through social media on your phone).
Many of these special cases won’t be a concern for most people, especially if you’re still young. But it’s good to know the steps you should take to avoid these issues as you get older. When in doubt, always consult the advice of an eye specialist.
