Health about your eyesight

1. Lions Clubs International Foundation
and
Women’s Eye Health.org
Eye Health for Seniors:
Your Aging Eyes and
Clear Vision for Life

2. Attention Seniors:
• By age 65, one in three Americans have
some vision-impairing eye disease
• Most don’t know it—often there are no
early warning signs
• Poor sight is not a natural part of aging
• You can take measures to preserve your
sight
• Have eye disease detected and treated early
• Visit an eye doctor at least every 1-2 years

3. Did you know that:
• Three-fourths (75%) of all blindness
and vision impairment is either
preventable or treatable
• The same good health habits that
protect your heart and lungs also
help your eyes
• It is never too late to take care of your
eyes

4. Importance of Good
Vision for Seniors
• Independence: working, driving and cooking
• Quality of life: reading, watching TV and
seeing grandchildren
• Mental health: less isolation and
depression
• Physical health: fewer falls, which
could lead to bone fractures

5. Age-related Eye
Conditions More
Common in Seniors:
• Presbyopia
• Dimming of vision
• Cataract(s)
• Dry eye
• Glaucoma
• AMD (age-related
macular
degeneration)

6. Aging: What most
seniors can expect
Presbyopia:
• Diminished ability to focus on near
objects
• Happens to nearly everyone
• Often first noticed between ages 40-50
• Typically results in the need for reading
glasses or bifocals

7. Presbyopia:
What to do
• Make sure your eyeglasses are
correct for both distance and
reading
• Visit an eye-care professional at
least every two years
• For convenience, buy several pairs
of inexpensive reading glasses

8. Aging:
Dimmer vision
Caused by:
• Slight loss of retinal
function
• Beginning cataract(s)

9. Dimmer Vision:
What to do
• Use brighter lighting for reading
• For safety, make sure your home is
well lit
• See your eye doctor if there is a
sudden loss of vision

10. Cataract
• Caused by eye’s lens becoming opaque
• Nearly everyone will have them by age 90
• Smoking increases incidence of some types
• Symptoms include:
1. Dark, fuzzy vision even with glasses
2. Glare
3. Halos around bright lights (dangerous for
driving)

11. Cataract:
What to do
• When your eye doctor thinks your
cataract(s) are “ripe” have them
removed surgically
• This is a very common, simple and
successful procedure
• Surgery involves implanting an artificial
lens (No more “coke-bottle” glasses)

12. Dry Eye
• Very prevalent in people over 55
• Two-to-three times more common in
women
• Caused by insufficient tears or by eyelid
inflammation
• Persistently painful, stinging or itchy
eyes
• Causes much suffering
• Sometimes leads to serious infection

13. Dry Eye:
What to do
• Artificial tears are mainstay of treatment
• Try different eye drops to find best for you
• Eye ointment at bedtime may help
• Avoid wind, smoke and very dry rooms
• See an eye doctor if the condition persists

14. Potentially
Blinding Diseases
Very serious—requires medical care:
• AMD
• Glaucoma
• Diabetic retinopathy

15. Age-related
Macular Degeneration
(AMD)
• Leading cause of blindness and irreversible
vision loss in seniors
• Gradually destroys central retina (macula)
needed for sharp vision
• Three times more common in smokers
• Late stage has two forms: “dry” and “wet”
• Wet form caused by leaky blood vessels behind
retina

16. AMD Symptoms
• Experience no pain
• Blurred central vision, even with glasses
• Later symptom includes dark or empty
area in center of vision
• In “wet” form, straight lines appear curved

17. AMD: What to do
• Don’t smoke
• To monitor deposits behind retina,
get a comprehensive eye exam, with
dilated pupils, at least every 2 years
• New treatment for wet form can stop
and sometimes reverse disease
• This involves injections into eye to
stop growth of new vessels

18. Glaucoma
• Called “silent thief of sight” (no symptoms
until permanent damage done)
• Gradually destroys optic nerve
• Peripheral (side) vision lost first
• Essential for seniors to have comprehensive
eye exam at least every 1-2 years

19. Glaucoma:
What to do
• Get periodic eye exam, with dilated pupils
(drops) at least every 1-2 years
• This detects glaucoma before any damage
sets in
• Prescription eye drops usually halt disease
• May require trial of different types of drops
• If necessary, a simple surgery can increase
fluid flow out of eye

20. Diabetic Retinopathy
• Serious complication of diabetes
• Technically not age-related
• Increases with duration of diabetes,
hence, with age
• Leaky blood vessels inside retina
• Distorted and lost vision near leaks

21. Diabetic Retinopathy:
What to do
• Best to prevent diabetes in the first place
• Diabetes is related to obesity, so maintain a
healthy weight
• If you have diabetes, be under the care of
an eye doctor (visit at least once a year)
• If retinal hemorrhage occurs, get laser
treatment quickly—this usually saves sight

22. Low-vision Aids
• If you have lost considerable vision
from eye disease, don’t lose hope
• “Low vision” is 20/200 (with
glasses) or worse, but it is not
blindness
• Go to an optometrist who
specializes in low-vision aids
• Low-vision aids can help you
resume normal activities

23. Types of
Low-vision Aids
Can be as simple as:
• Magnifying glass
• Large-print books and clocks
• Electronic magnifiers for books and TV
• Special eyeglasses to allow driving

24. Why should I see
an eye doctor?
• Diagnose glaucoma before there
is irreversible vision loss
• Make sure eyeglasses are correct
• Treat cataracts, AMD and diabetic
retinopathy in a timely manner

25. • All seniors, at least every 1- 2 years
• More often if you have:
• An eye disease
• Family history of serious eye disease
• Diabetes
• An autoimmune disease (like Sjögren’s or
MS) that can affect the eye
• A sudden change in vision
When should I see an
ophthalmologist or
optometrist?

26. What you can do
to keep clear
vision for life
• Make sure your home is well lit
• Keep your eyeglasses up-to-date
• See an eye doctor regularly
• If you smoke, try to stop
• Maintain a healthy weight

27. Be eye smart!
It’s largely up to you
to maintain your eye
health – be proactive!

28. To learn more, visit:
• www.lcif.org
• www.womenseyehealth.org
• www.Schepens.harvard.edu
• www.healthyvision2010.org
• www.nei.nih.gov/health

29. Presented by:
Lions Clubs International Foundation
working in partnership with
Women’s Eye Health.org
to prevent blindness
Funded through a Lions Clubs International
Foundation SightFirst grant.
For more information please visit
www.lcif.org and www.womenseyehealth.org.