The 5 most common sight disorders in seniors
After 60, various vision problems can appear and affect your eyesight and quality of life. Early detection will allow you to receive treatment and preserve your visual comfort. Please find out about the top five eye problems in seniors and learn how to prevent them.
Knowing how to recognize the various sight disorders in seniors
The prevalence of vision problems increases with age. Cataracts, for example, most often affect seniors. In addition, milder disorders like conjunctivitis and dry eyes are also on the rise in older people. To complicate matters, in winter, your eyes tend to dry out due to the recirculation of air from certain types of heating (especially electric).
Vision problems in older people can cause other complications:
- difficulty driving,
- an increased risk of falling,
- reduced mobility,
- loss of autonomy,
- social isolation,
- the inability to enjoy your favorite activities (crosswords, reading ...),
anxiety and depression, consequences of the above problems.
How can you tell the difference between dry eyes and a real blurred vision in seniors? Familiarize yourself with the top five diseases:
1. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
AMD is the leading cause of low vision and even blindness in older people. This vision disorder in seniors affects the retina and impairs central vision. It affects over 15% of people aged 65 and over and over a quarter of seniors 75 and over.
The main symptoms:
- progressive loss of visual acuity,
- deformation of objects and shapes,
- impaired color vision,
- the appearance of a dark or empty area in the field of vision (scotoma).
2. Blepharitis
This vision disorder in seniors, but not only, is characterized by inflammation or infection of the eyelid. This disease can cause the same symptoms as dry eyes. Although uncomfortable, it is generally not contagious and does not damage vision.
The main symptoms:
- irritated eyelids,
- itching,
- burning sensation or a foreign body sensation,
- dandruff-like glitter at the base of the eyelashes.
3. Cataract:
Cataracts are visual disturbances caused by the clouding of the lens. In France, 20% of people aged 65 and over have it. This figure reaches 60% among those over 85.
The main symptoms:
- cloudy or blurry vision
- increasing difficulty seeing at night,
- increased sensitivity to glare,
- reduced color intensity.
4. Glaucoma:
The second cause of blindness in the elderly, glaucoma, groups together a set of vision disorders. This eye disease gradually destroys the optic nerve, leading to blindness without proper treatment. Its prevalence increases with age, especially after 40 years. This vision disorder affects one in ten seniors aged 70.
In the early stages, glaucoma does not show any distinctive signs, hence the importance of early detection in everyone aged 40 and over. As with other sight disorders in seniors, prevention should be given priority, and an ophthalmologist should be consulted once a year.
5. Vision problems:
Some diseases can also cause vision problems in older people. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by diabetes mellitus, as the name suggests. It damages the blood vessels in the retina.
Arthritis and high blood pressure are also risk factors for vision problems in older people. It is therefore important to have health check-ups with the attending physician.
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