Archive → February, 2012
Aging eyes: What’s normal, what’s not
Some rights reserved by BLW Photography
If you are over 40, you’ve probably started noticing some subtle changes in your vision. You might find yourself holding reading material at arms length in order to see the print clearly. You become temporarily blinded when you walk into a dark movie theater, and again when you walk back out into the bright sunlight. You may think you’ve finally lost your mind when your grandchild asks why you’re wearing one blue sock and one black one. But don’t worry, these are all perfectly normal signs of aging.
Just as you might lose the ability to touch your toes or clasp your hands behind your back, the lens in your eye loses flexibility with age, making it difficult to focus and see clearly at close distances, such as when reading or working on the computer. This normal sign of aging, known as presbyopia, starts around age 40 and progresses until the age of 65-70. As part of the natural aging process, presbyopia can’t be prevented or cured, but is easily corrected with reading glasses, bifocals or corrective surgery.
The lens of your eye tends to yellow with age, making it harder to see differences in certain shades of colors, making those navy blue and black socks look identical. This loss of contrast sensitivity is usually not a huge problem, but if it becomes significant, it could be a sign of cataracts.
That same yellowing of the lens means that less light can enter the eye, so you may need more light for close activities such as reading. The pupil is slower to react to changes in light, so it takes longer to adjust to dim or bright lights, such as when exiting a dark building into the bright sunlight, or vice versa. You may also become much more sensitive to glare (which could also be an early sign of cataracts).
Floaters (tiny black specks moving across your field of vision), are bits of fluid within the eye that have solidified, and are usually nothing more than a minor annoyance. However, if they significantly increase, or are accompanied by bright, flashing lights, it could indicate a retinal detachment, and should be treated immediately.
With age, we produce fewer tears, making dry eye a common problem in older adults. If your eyes feel dry and irritated, you may use artificial tears as needed, or consult your eye doctor for other options.
Loss of peripheral vision is a normal part of aging, and you can expect to lose up to 20-30 degrees of your visual field over the course of your lifetime. However, if the loss seems sudden or significant, it could be a sign of glaucoma and should be checked.
A baseline eye exam is recommended at age 40, with routine exams at least every two years thereafter, particularly if you have a family history of eye disease. As you reach your 60s and beyond, be attentive to warning signs of age-related eye problems such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts. If the symptoms listed above become severe or persistent, or if you experience sudden hazy or blurred vision, pain in or around the eye, double vision, seeing halos around lights, changes in the color of the iris, or a blind spot in the middle of your field of vision, contact your eye doctor.
You can’t escape age-related vision changes, but knowing what to expect and when to seek professional care are important steps to protecting your vision. For more information on the impact of aging on vision, visit the National Eye Institute at nei.nih.gov.
Dr. Ronald J. Martin of VisionHealth Optometry focuses on quality eye care services to family members of all ages. Services include eye exams, contact lens fittings, retinal photography, pre- and post-operative care, and glasses frames and lens selection. Dr. Martin’s office is located at 1440 Medical Center Dr. Suite2, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. He can be reached at 707-206-0290 or email him at questions@vision-health.com. Visit VisionHealth Optometry online at http://www.vision-health.com.
Dr. Martin is a member of the California Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the Redwood Empire Optometric Society, and the Optometry Alumni Association of the University of California.
Attention disorder…or vision problem?
Is your child being treated for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Perhaps they display some of the classic signs of these conditions, such as high distractibility, short attention span, difficulty concentrating, making careless mistakes, failing to complete assignments, fidgeting or being off task.
However, the cause may not be a true deficit in attention, but an undetected, learning-related vision problem called convergence insufficiency (CI).
CI is one of the more common developmental vision problems found in children, and, because it can cause symptoms similar to those of attention disorders, is often misdiagnosed. For more information on the relationship between CI and attention disorders, visit: http://www.add-adhd.org/convergence_insufficiency.html.
Children with CI have to work harder to use their two eyes together, especially at close distances, such as when they are reading and writing. Print on the page may jump around, causing a great deal of eyestrain as the child tries to focus. To see how a child with CI might experience reading, go to: http://www.childrensvision.com/reading.htm.
Eventually, the child needs a “vision break” and will typically fidget or wander around the room, talk to their neighbor, or otherwise avoid the activities that make them uncomfortable. Their schoolwork may suffer, and they may be labeled as “lazy” or told they could do better if they tried harder.
CI, and other learning-related vision problems, can’t be detected by a simple eye chart test. A child can have 20/20 vision and still have an underlying functional vision problem. A simple test to check for CI can be found at http://convergence-insufficiency.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/convergenceinsufficiencytest1.jpg.
Also, a child may not realize that his vision isn’t normal. All he knows is that reading and writing are difficult, and he will do just about anything to get out of doing it.
In any case, if your child is having a hard time paying attention in school, it’s a good idea to set up a comprehensive eye exam to be sure there is no underlying vision problem.
Dr. Ronald J. Martin of VisionHealth Optometry focuses on quality eye care services to family members of all ages. Services include eye exams, contact lens fittings, retinal photography, pre- and post-operative care, and glasses frames and lens selection. Dr. Martin’s office is located at 1440 Medical Center Dr. Suite2, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. He can be reached at 707-206-0290 or email him at questions@vision-health.com. Visit VisionHealth Optometry online at http://www.vision-health.com.
Dr. Martin is a member of the California Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the Redwood Empire Optometric Society, and the Optometry Alumni Association of the University of California.
MORE INFORMATION AND A VIDEO ON GLAUCOMA
Click This for Video: GlauMediacoma on YouTube
Glaucoma refers to a category of eye disorders often associated with a dangerous buildup of internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP), which can damage the eye’s optic nerve that transmits visual information to the brain.
If untreated or uncontrolled, glaucoma first causes peripheral vision loss and eventually can lead to blindness.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the most common type of glaucoma — called primary open-angle glaucoma — affects an estimated 2.2 million people in the United States, and that number is expected to increase to 3.3 million by 2020 as the U.S. population ages.
Glaucoma can be very destructive to your vision; in fact, it's the second-leading cause of blindness in the United States.
Glaucoma Treatments
Treatment can involve glaucoma surgery, lasers or medication, depending on the severity. Eye drops with medication aimed at lowering IOP usually are tried first to control glaucoma.
Because glaucoma often is painless, people may become careless about strict use of eye drops that can control eye pressure and help prevent permanent eye damage.
In fact, non-compliance with a program of prescribed glaucoma medication is a major reason for blindness caused by glaucoma.
If you find that the eye drops you are using for glaucoma are uncomfortable or inconvenient, never discontinue them without first consulting your eye doctor about a possible alternative therapy.
Select information from Gary Heiting, OD, and Marilyn Haddrill;
contributions and review by Charles Slonim, MD at http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/glaucoma.htm
How to reduce “smart phone squint”
Young Woman Texting by Petr Kratochvil
Do you spend hours every day staring at your smart phone, texting, reading, playing games and browsing websites? Do you often suffer from headaches, dry or tired eyes, blurred vision or focusing problems after doing so?
If this sounds familiar, you could be suffering from “smart phone squint,” a condition that can cause the same symptoms as computer vision syndrome, as well as (gasp!) fine lines and wrinkles!
Studies have shown that people tend to hold their smart phone about four inches closer to their eyes than they would hold a newspaper or book. This, combined with smaller font sizes, means the eyes must work harder to focus on the text, which ultimately leads to eye strain.
While there is no evidence that reading from a smart phone causes permanent damage to the eyes, there are a few things you can do to help reduce the strain:
Hold the phone an arm’s length away from your eyes.
- Increase the font size on your device, especially if you will be reading for a sustained period. Many devices have a digital magnifier, or you can search for apps that may help magnify the screen. Load web pages in “landscape” mode.
- Take frequent breaks so your eyes can relax. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Turn down the brightness on your device and reduce the glare on your screen. Don’t use your phone to read in any place you wouldn’t normally read a book.
- Try to save the majority of your web-browsing for when you have access to a regular computer screen. The less time you spend staring at a tiny screen, the better. At the least, consider a larger, touch screen phone.
Do you suffer from “smart phone squint?” Let me know your experiences and what you do to avoid the “smart phone squint.”
