Visual impairment with age: causes, treatment and prevention

Presbyopia is the name in medicine for the natural process of visual impairment with age. At about the age of forty, sclerotic changes occur in the lens. As a result, the core is compacted, which violates the ability of the eyes to normally see objects. Therefore, you have to read using glasses.

With age, the process progresses and plus diopters increase greatly. By the age of 60, the lens is no longer able to change the radius of curvature. As a result, people have to use glasses for work and reading, which the doctor helps to choose. Presbyopia is inevitable and impossible to stop. In this case, each person's age-related changes are different.

Visual impairment with congenital hyperopia is accompanied by a decrease in vision for reading and given at the same time. Presbyopia exacerbates hyperopia. In people suffering from myopia, the situation is the most favorable. This drawback compensates for the loss of accommodation and puts off the moment when you need to wear glasses for near. In the case of moderate myopia, you don’t have to wear glasses. They are needed for the distance.

In presbyopia, vision correction is carried out through contact lenses or glasses. If you have not had to use them before, buy reading glasses. Otherwise, just replace. There are glasses in which the upper segment of the lenses is focused on distance vision, and the lower one helps to see normally near.
Other methods of vision correction include the use of trifocal glasses or progressive contact lenses, providing a smooth transition between close, medium and far vision.
If there is no desire to wear fashion accessories, surgical treatment represented by laser keratomileusis or photorefractive keratectomy will come to the rescue. These techniques come down to using a laser to change the shape of the cornea.
Using laser correction, it is impossible to give one eye the ability to normally see into the distance or near. At the same time, the doctor will make sure that one eye sees distant objects well, and the second - near ones.
Another option for surgical treatment is the replacement of the lens with an artificial analog. For this purpose, artificial lenses of a simple and bifocal type are used.

We marked the beginning of an article on visual impairment with age. Ahead awaits interesting, useful and informative material on the topic.

Causes of age-related visual impairment

TV, computer, texts, documents, bright light - the main causes of visual impairment. It is difficult to find a person who does not face similar problems.

In this part of the article, we consider factors that contribute to visual impairment. I hope you find information in the material that will help protect your eyes and take care of your health.

Low eye muscle activity. The ability to see images of objects and objects depends on the photosensitive part of the eyes, the retina and the change in the curvature of the lens, which, thanks to the ciliary muscles, becomes flat or convex depending on the distance from the object.

If you peer at the monitor screen or text for a long time, the muscles that control the lens will become weak and lethargic. Constantly develop eye muscles with exercise. Alternately focus your eyes on near and distant objects.

Retina aging. The cells of the retina contain photosensitive pigments through which a person sees. With age, pigments are destroyed and visual acuity decreases. To slow aging, eat foods rich in vitamin A - eggs, fish, milk, carrots and meat. Do not neglect oily fish or meat. Be sure to include blueberries in your diet. It has a substance that restores visual pigment.

Poor blood circulation. The cells of the body breathe and feed through blood vessels. The retina is the most delicate organ that takes damage even with minor circulatory disorders. Ophthalmologists during the examination of the fundus seek this kind of disorder.

Disturbed circulation of the retina leads to serious diseases. Therefore, doctors are recommended to visit regularly. The doctor will prescribe medications that will improve the condition of the vessels. Developed diets that support blood circulation in a healthy state. It does not hurt to preserve blood vessels by refusing to stay in saunas and steam rooms for a long time.

High eye strain. Retinal cells take damage when exposed to bright light and from stress in low light conditions. To solve the problem, protect the eyes from the sun with glasses. Do not read or view tiny objects in low light. And reading in transport is a bad habit.

Dry mucous membrane. Clarity of vision also depends on the purity of transparent shells that transmit a ray of light reflected from objects. They are washed with liquid. In the case of dry eyes, a person sees worse.

Cry will help restore visual acuity. If you are unable to cause tears or do not want to cry, use special drops. In composition, they resemble tears and moisturize the eyes well.

Video interview with a doctor

Visual impairment during pregnancy

Pregnancy affects the systems and organs of the female body, including the organs of vision. Visual impairment during pregnancy is not the most serious problem. Often the phenomenon is a consequence of a disease that causes great harm to the fetus, therefore it is recommended to visit an oculist in the first trimester regularly.

A complex pregnancy is accompanied by a high load on the heart, which leads to a change in the blood supply to organs and a narrowing of the vessels of the retina. At high pressure, hemorrhage appears in the retina, which leads to delamination.

When symptoms appear, respond immediately. Reddened eyes are a superficial symptom of serious processes taking place inside the eye. Only ophthalmoscopy helps to detect them.

Hormonal changes affect vision. An increased level of hormones affects the protein shell of the eyes, which leads to visual impairment. After childbirth, the symptoms disappear, so you do not need to resort to the use of glasses or lenses.

If pregnancy is not accompanied by pathologies, problems with visual acuity bring temporary discomfort. We are talking about dryness, irritation and fatigue of the eyes. Excess hormones are to blame. With a sharp decrease in visual acuity or the appearance of bright sparks in front of the eyes, beware.

Often the cause of visual impairment is the restructuring of hormones. In this case, treatment is not required. After childbirth, everything is normal. Many doctors recommend correcting vision during pregnancy planning, because health problems are harder to treat than preventive measures.
If there was dystrophy before the conception of a child, take a course of laser coagulation. It is allowed to be carried out during the first 36 weeks. Do not delay with this, otherwise it is not recommended to conduct a natural birth. Physical exertion can lead to separation or rupture of the retina.

If you regularly watch TV, sit at the computer for a long time or read books in the evening, pause periodically. During the break, do exercises or massage your eyes.

Visual impairment in diabetes

People with diabetes often have problems with visual impairment. Often high blood sugar levels lead to unpleasant results in the form of complete or partial blindness. Each diabetic is advised to constantly monitor the state of vision.

Consider visual impairment in diabetes with the mechanism of the influence of glucose on the condition of the eyes. Strong jumps in blood sugar adversely affect the structure of the lens and the structure of the network of eye vessels. This impairs vision and provokes the occurrence of serious diseases such as glaucoma and cataracts.

If you notice that flashes, sparks and blackouts appear before your eyes, and while reading the letters go to the dance, go to the optometrist. Remember this tip and don't forget that diabetics are a potential risk group for visual acuity problems.

Consider eye diseases, the probability of occurrence of which in a diabetic is high. Events develop according to different scenarios, but it all starts with an increase in sugar. Glucose greatly changes the structure of the lens and adversely affects the state of blood vessels in the eye area.

Cataract. With the disease, the lens darkens and becomes foggy. The first messenger of cataracts is the inability to focus the gaze on a light source, accompanied by a blurry and fuzzy picture. Surgery helps to cope with the scourge.
Glaucoma. Another problem lurking for diabetics. The cause of the disease is high pressure inside the eye. With diabetes, fluid accumulates inside the eyes, which violates the integrity of the nerves and blood vessels. The main symptom of glaucoma is the fuzzy contours of objects in peripheral vision. You can overcome the disease only in the early stages of development.
Retinopathy. The disease leads to blindness. During the development of the disease, damage to the walls of the eye vessels is observed, which reduces the flow of blood to the retina. The disease manifests itself in clouding of the picture and the appearance of point eclipses. For the fight, laser retinal coagulation or surgery is used.

Video material

Visual impairment in diabetes is not a cause for despair. Many face similar difficulties, but proper nutrition and regular check-ups with an optometrist will help to avoid serious problems.

Sudden visual impairment - symptoms and causes

Often, visual impairment is temporary. Stress, lack of sleep and overwork, eyestrain lead to this condition. To solve the problem, it is recommended to go on a summer vacation, relax and bring the daily routine back to normal.

It does not hurt to look at the ophthalmologist if there is a sharp deterioration in vision. Consider the causes of this phenomenon.

Injuries. Eyeball bruises, hemorrhages, thermal and chemical burns, foreign bodies entering the orbit. A very dangerous injury to the eye is a cutting or piercing object.
Farsightedness. Unpleasant pathology when vision of objects near worsens. It accompanies various diseases and is characterized by a decrease in the ability of the eye lens to change shape.
Myopia. A pathology in which vision deteriorates when examining independent objects. Often cause hereditary factors, injuries that change the position of the lens and disrupt the shape, weak muscles.
Hemorrhage. The causes of hemorrhage are high blood pressure, venous congestion, fragility of blood vessels, physical exertion, attempts at childbirth, poor blood coagulation.
Lens diseases. Cataracts, accompanied by clouding of the lens. The disease causes age-related changes, impaired metabolism or injury.
Corneal Disease. We are talking about inflammation of the cornea, which causes toxic substances, fungal and viral infections, ulcers.
Retinal diseases. Tears and delaminations. This is also caused by the defeat of the yellow spot - the zone where the greatest number of light-sensitive receptors is concentrated.

Factors and causes that lead to a sharp deterioration in vision are serious, so at the first sign immediately go to an ophthalmologist.

How to treat visual impairment

Now let's talk about treatment.

First of all, go to the optometrist. He will familiarize himself with complaints, examine the eye and conduct computer diagnostics, which will help to carefully examine his vision.
Regardless of your diagnosis, arrange a respite for your eyes. Do not overload, especially if the doctor has discovered a problem. Minimize the duration of watching TV and working at the computer, because the interaction with technology is detrimental to the eyes.
Go for a walk or sit with friends in the cafeteria. If you do not plan to leave the house, replace the viewing of TV shows with general cleaning, washing or revising things.
Exercise, which is done three times a day, will help restore vision. For this purpose, a simple exercise is provided - switch your vision from near objects to distant objects.
Take medication prescribed by your doctor, be it drops or vitamin preparations. Be sure to change the diet by adding a number of healthy foods.
To achieve the goal will help and folk remedies, among which the infusion of Valerian. Fifty grams of powder made from valerian root, pour a liter of wine and wait two weeks. After filtering the infusion, drink a spoon three times a day.
A good means of improving vision is considered to be a collection of euphrasia, cornflowers and calendula. Combine the herbs in equal amounts and steam in the oven for 2 hours. Before going to bed, do lotions.
Lead a healthy lifestyle that has a positive effect on vision. It provides for a whole set of measures, the observance of which is mandatory for life, and not only in the case of impaired vision.
Get enough sleep, observe the daily regimen, eat properly and balanced, go for walks, apply vitamins. Refuse alcohol and cigarettes, the effects of which on the condition of the eyes are fatal.

The instruction we reviewed is simple. But if you follow all the points, you will be able to restore visual acuity and avoid serious eye problems.

Prevention of visual impairment at home

Many believe that if vision deteriorates, then prevention at home will not help. This is not true. The right approach will help stop the development of the problem or prevent its occurrence.

Take breaks at work. If you have to work at a computer for a long time or watch TV, try to pause for 20 minutes after two hours. As part of a break, do eye exercises or look out the window, switching to distant vision. Remember, people suffering from computer addiction get eye problems.

Get enough sleep. The duration of sleep is ideally 7 hours. During this time, the eyes rest even after intense stress.

Take vitamins. Special vitamin complexes are sold to maintain eye health.

Use special glasses when working with computer equipment. Glasses will not hurt in sunny weather. Using a fashion accessory, brighten your look and protect your eyes from sunlight.