Age-related loss of vision and eye problems may be worsened by diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Many of these problems with vision can be prevented or treated with the right lifestyle choices and medical care, while others may be unavoidable and require treatment to repair vision.
Diabetic Retinopathy Damages the Walls of the Capillaries to the Eye
Diabetic retinopathy accounts for more than seven percent of blindness in adults and in most cases it is preventable by controlling diabetes with medicine, food and exercise. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when the walls of the retinal capillaries swell, weaken and rupture. This causes dilations in the capillaries called micro-aneurysms.
The newly dilated capillaries attract more blood flow, diverting it from other areas of the retina, resulting in some areas of the retina that receive too little oxygen and nutrient-rich blood, while others hemorrhage or bleed from too much blood flow.
Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy usually take years to develop and may not be noticeable initially. These symptoms include cloudy vision, seeing spots and blurred vision. If left untreated, the micro-aneurysms can continue to develop and vision is worsened until blindness results. Treatment for this eye condition includes the use of lasers to stop the bleeding.
Cataracts are Clouding of the Lens
Cataracts are a common eye disorder in the elderly and affect almost 90 percent of individuals over the age of 70. Though not all cataracts will affect vision, they can cause symptoms such as cloudy, yellow or opaque lens that is often noticeable in the eye. The lens can become so cloudy that vision is impaired as light is unable to pass through.
The lens of the eye is composed of fibers that are continually developed throughout life, while older fibers are not removed. The new layers of fibers cause the older ones to be compressed. In individuals with cataracts, the fibers become cloudy and gradually diminish the transparency of the lens. Oxidative reactions that increase in the elderly are thought to damage the proteins that form the lens fibers.
Cataracts May Temporarily Improve Vision in the Elderly
As the cataract formation worsens, vision becomes dimmed, blurred, hazy and glare from light may cause a scattering effect in the eyes, making it difficult to focus and see.
In some types of cataracts, as the refractive or light-bending power of the lens changes, individuals may notice that their far-sightedness or presbyopia has improved and they don’t need their reading glasses. This benefit of cataracts is temporary, and vision will decline as the cataracts progress.
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Reference:
National Eye Institute (Accessed June 20, 2010)
Noreen Kassem - Noreen Kassem is a hospital doctor based in London, UK. She has extensive experience in clinical research and an undergraduate honors ...
