Be Watchful With Your Vision

by SonjaHelga on Saturday, May 24th, 2008 | Comments Off

If there’s one disability associated with getting older that cannot be overlooked, then the eyes have it. It’s called age-related eye disease (ARED). According to an expert at the National Eye Institute (NEI), four major AREDs — glaucoma, cataract, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy — can creep up silently during your senior years, threatening your vision.

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People ages 65 and older are at greater risk for these diseases, said Dr. Robert Nussenblatt, scientific director of NEI, a part of the National Institutes of Health. However, careful monitoring of your eye health and regular eye examinations can help you see well into old age.

“As we get older in this society,” he said in a lecture at NIH, “we tend to value our independence more. We remain vibrant and active and, in doing so, perhaps our sense of sight becomes even more important.”

The United States will spend between $20 million and $22 million dollars directly on eye problems, and almost an equal amount on indirect costs associated with delivering care to people with eye problems, he noted. Approximately 47,000 Americans becomes blind every year.

“Essentially,” he added, “that means that one American becomes blind, or has severe vision loss, every 11 minutes.” However, you can help preserve your eyesight by being aware of some common age-related eye diseases and learning how to recognize their often-subtle symptoms.