As the body ages, there are several common eye diseases that affect our vision in different ways. Some of the most common conditions affecting the eye include cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma and, one that all of us experience sometime after the age of 40 or 45, presbyopia. Routine eye care allows your eye doctor to diagnose these conditions, and, in many cases, prevent visual loss from occurring.

Presbyopia is the loss of the focusing ability of the eye, taking away our ability to see things close or read without the help of glasses. For those who need glasses, this often means their first pair of bifocals. Fortunately,

as frustrating as this change in vision may be, it does not mean a loss in our central vision. Quite often, with a little coping, most of us do just fine with our new bifocal glasses, or, for the lucky ones, the over-the-counter reading glasses are a great help. Another nearly unavoidable consequence of the aging eye is cataracts, which usually takes much longer to develop. A cataract is a clouding or opacity of the normally transparent lens inside the eye. It prevents the light rays from passing onto the retina causing the picture that the retina receives to become dull and fuzzy. The normal process of aging causes the lens to harden and become cloudy. This is called age-related cataract and it is the most common type. It can occur anytime after the age of 45. Although it is rare, this condition may occur earlier in the setting of other diseases, such as diabetes.

Aging and change of the lens within the eye may also bring a change in how we perceive color. The most common color vision changes are a reduction in ability to discriminate blues and blue-greens. The yellowing of the lens is believed to be responsible for this effect. The aging lens and cornea cause glare by light scattering, especially for shorter wavelengths. Aberrations of the cornea also increase with age, leading to poor vision especially when the pupil dilates like when in the dark. One of the more aggravating aspects of vision for older people seems to be the feeling that their vision does not work as effortlessly or as quickly as it did when they were younger. They must concentrate harder and require higher levels of illumination than they formerly did in order to have the same perceptual results. Fortunately, cataracts are removable, and with the most modern techniques, patients often do quite well with their removal along with implantation of an artificial lens implant.

Glaucoma is another serious condition that most commonly involves an elevation in pressure inside the eye caused by a build-up of excess fluid. Our risk for this condition also increases as we age. Those with family members who have glaucoma are also at increased risk for the disease. If left untreated, this pressure can impair vision by causing irreversible damage to the optic nerve and, eventually, blindness. Visual loss, however, can be stabilized by lowering the pressure in the eye. This is most commonly done with eye drops, but occasionally, laser procedures or surgery are required.

One of the more devastating causes of severe loss of central vision is macular degeneration. Macular degeneration may be considered a “wearing out” of the center part of the retina, the macula. The macula is the part of the retina that provides us with central vision and allows us to see fine detail, such as recognizing a face, reading or watching television. It is often related to aging, and is commonly referred to as Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Macular degeneration is divided into two forms, the dry type, and the more advanced wet type. A special formulation of antioxidant vitamins can reduce the risk of progression from dry macular degeneration to the worse wet form by 25 percent.

With aging, the quality of vision may worsen due to reasons independent of aging eye diseases. The area of the pupil governs the amount of light that can reach the retina. The pupil may also dilate slightly less with age. Because of this smaller pupil size, older eyes may receive less light at the retina. In comparison to younger people, it may be as though older persons are wearing medium-density sunglasses in bright light and dark glasses in dim light. Everyone's vision deteriorates with age, but there are ways to lessen its impact. Good lighting can make the difference between seeing and not seeing for older adults. This is especially important in the home, stairways, kitchen and living rooms. Many of the severe consequences of these conditions, cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration, can be prevented by early detection by your eye doctor.

If you are experiencing the symptoms of cataracts or other vision problems, you should obtain a complete eye examination. To schedule an appointment with Aaron Holtebeck, M.D. please call Milwaukee Eye Care Associates, S.C. at 414-271-2020.