Talking About Optometry For Kids

How Getting Older Affects Your Eyes

27 July 2015

Amelia Dunn

Most people begin to experience some sort of vision problem as they get older. But you don't have to experience serious vision loss for eye problems to affect the quality of your life. Even small changes in how you see can increase your risk for falls or keep you from being involved in activities you once enjoyed.

There are a wide range of changes related to aging that can occur with the eyes. The good news is that regular eye examinations can tell your eye care professional whether problems you are experiencing are related to normal aging or if you have an eye disease that can impair your vision more if left untreated.

Loss of Lens Elasticity

As you get older, the lens of the eye loses elasticity -- a condition known as presbyopia. When the lens can't bend as easily as it once could, it becomes harder to focus on close objects. Consequently, you may not see things as clearly as you used to. The change occurs gradually over time, usually beginning sometime in the early to mid-40s.

Although there is no way to prevent presbyopia, you can improve your near vision by shining more light on the area when you are performing tasks up close. If you don't need corrective lenses to see distant objects, over-the-counter reading glasses may be all you require to see better when you are reading or working on the computer. However, if your vision gets progressively worse, you may need corrective lenses to help improve your ability to focus at close proximity.

Yellowing of the Eye Lens

The lens of the eye gradually yellows over time. This can make colors look duller, and you may have trouble distinguishing between differences in shades of color. Changes in color perception also make it harder to see contrasts between colors, especially in low light. When this happens, you may have trouble seeing street curbs, uneven sidewalks, and stairs since you can't always see differences between objects and their backgrounds.

The use of warm contrasting colors in the interior design of your home can make it easier to see where things are. Choose shades of vivid colors like yellow, orange, and red, which have longer wavelengths, rather than hues of blue, green, and violet for walls, furnishings, window treatments, and area rugs.

If you need help seeing steps, put colored tape on the edges. Another option for improving your color perception is to replace the lighting in your home with halogen or fluorescent bulbs designed to enhance color definition. Bulbs with a higher color-rendering index (the perception of color when illuminated by a light source) help make colors look more natural.

Changes to the Pupil

Age-related changes that occur to the pupil of the eye make it harder to see in dim light and more difficult to adapt to changes in lighting. When the pupil decreases in diameter, less light reaches the retina located near the optic nerve at the back of the eye. Not only will you need more light to see, glare may bother you more, and you can have trouble focusing when you come inside to a dimly lit room after being outside in the bright sunlight.

Increasing the amount of light available throughout your home can help you see better. Use task lighting to increase the illumination on certain areas in a room or work area such as over a kitchen sink or countertop. If you need to reduce glare, position light fixtures to block bright light coming from shiny or glossy surfaces such as window glass, picture frame glass, mirrors, and television and computer screens. Cover shiny floors with area rugs to absorb light and reduce glare.

For more information, contact Cripe Stephens & Stickel or a similar organization.

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