5 Most Common Eye Disease In Older Adults Plus Quick Solutions

As people begin to join the ranks of seniors, several parts of the body also begin to deteriorate in their ability to function optimally. One part of the body that greatly suffers from deterioration is the eyes. The National Library of Medicine’s recent research affirms that age can also be a major cause of vision deterioration.

Here is a paraphrased copy from the research:

READ ALSO: Everything You Need To Know About Vision Correction

While age-induced eye problems are ordinarily not meant to pose a serious worry, many older adults ignore early signs, which is concerning, as this careless ignorance may sometimes lead to vision loss or outright blindness. The cost of treatment, on the other hand, can also be scary if conditions aren’t detected early, which explains why a careful and constant eye check for seniors is highly recommended.

In this post, we have taken out quality time to write extensively about the 5 common eye diseases in older adults. To help you better appreciate the article, we also outlined quick and long-term fixes or solutions to these eye diseases.

Let’s hop right into the post together without wasting any further time.

5 Most Common Eye Diseases in Older Adults

1. Cataracts

First on the list of common eye diseases in older adults is Cataracts. A cataract is simply the Clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye of an older adult, and it is said to develop slowly over the years.

To put it simply:

There is a lens inside our eyes which refracts light rays that come into the eye every second to help us see things. Normally, this lens should be clear always, but the presence of a cataract makes the lens cloudy. Just picture a dusty car or fog during Harmattans in Nigeria.

A recent research by the Nigerian Journal of Ophthalmology reveals an increasing number of Cataract patients in Nigeria, plus a low amount of efforts to treat all cataract patients.

Here is a paraphrased excerpt from the journal:

How Do you Avoid Cataract In The First Place?

It is a known fact that only about 35% of cataract development is due to genetics, so it simply means that most cataract cases can be avoided altogether. Now let’s explore 5 Natural ways to avoid cataracts in the first place.

1. Avoid constant Use Of UV light protective sunglasses when exposed to sunlight. While there is no direct proof that this action causes cataract development, there are some shreds of evidence that it may lead to the buildup of the disease.
   
2. Elevated blood glucose (Diabetes) has also been linked to Cataract development, so losing a little bit of weight and treating yourself to healthier sources of food with minimal sugar will go a long way.
   
3. Smoking and Heavy Alcohol consumption of alcohol have also been linked with cataract development because smoking and drinking cause oxidative stress in the body which may also trigger the development of Cataracts.
   
4. There have also been plenty of research works linking adequate exercise and moderate consumption of Vitamin D to the Natural prevention of Cataracts.
   
5. Eating fruits and other healthy foods rich in antioxidants should also help to prevent Cataracts Naturally.

Visit VISION PLANET EYE CLINIC for your Comprehensive Eye Checkup

2. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD is the second on our list of eye diseases in older adults. The National Eye Institute considers this Adult-prone eye disease a common condition and a leading cause of vision loss for older adults (a potentially blinding eye problem). Usually, you may not get to develop AMD until you are 50 years old or older

Let’s try to establish some background to help you better understand the AMD and some quick measures you can take.

As humans age, there is a higher chance of experiencing damage to the macula, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye and also the part of the eye that handles sharp, straight-ahead vision and the effect of this can become visible slowly in some people and fast in others which is why getting a regular eye exam to find out if you have AMD is highly advised.

VsionPlanet Eye Clinic in Lagos Offers Eye examinations, The AMD eye exams are also part of what we do. Simply Book Your Appointment to see any of our Doctors.

Types Of AMD

There are two types of AMD namely:

1. Dry Macular Degeneration is the most common of all, and it affects over 85% of those diagnosed with the disease. This type of AMD is thankfully less severe too and progresses very slowly.
   
2. Wet Macular Degeneration is far less common of all but it comes up much more suddenly and with serious vision changes. You can get all of the insights you need about wet Macular Degeneration from the Macular Society Blog.

Some Common Fixes to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Let’s start from a subtle sad note. When you are diagnosed with Macular Degeneration Disease, there seems to be only one treatment for the disease right now, and that is getting injections of Anti-VEGF treatment medications into the back of the eye, this can help to slow down or reverse the build-up of fluid at the back of the eye

Initial common symptoms of Macular Disease

1. Night blindness, having a hard time seeing in dim and low light situations

Let’s explore some Common Preventions To AMDs.

Eat Healthy – Eating healthy food has been linked to either slowing down the growth of Macular diseases in Adults or helping to prevent them altogether. It is always advised to eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, fish, nuts and other related foods that are considered to be rich in Micronutrients.

Taking Some recommended Eye Vitamins has also been largely linked to the prevention or slowing down of Macular diseases in Adults. You should consult with your healthcare professional for recommendations.

Stopping Smoking has also been advised over the years for adults. Smoking is said to either trigger or aggravate the growth of Macular diseases.

3. Presbyopia and Aging

Presbyopia is another common eye disease in older adults. Presbyopia develops when the eye’s natural lenses lose their flexibility, and when this happens, focusing closely on any object becomes difficult. This is common in older adults because as we age, our lenses become less flexible and resist changing shape so our ability to see things closely diminishes.

Some Common Treatment Strategies For Presbyopia

1. The Use of a magnifying lens
2. Magnifying reading glasses
3. Lasik Surgery could also potentially help you cater for Presbyopia. We covered more about LASIK in our vision correction article.
4. The KAMRA INLAY. This surgical procedure allows a tiny microscopic disc to be inplanted into the cornea of the eye and that is expected to improve your depth of field, reducing the reliance on reading glasses.

You can contact VisionPlanet Eye Clinic to discuss your options

4. Glaucoma

The fourth on our list of eye disease in older adults is Glaucoma. This is a condition/disease where where the optic nerves (The chord that connects the eyes with the brain) dies over time eventually leading to vision loss and blindness.

Worthy of note is the fact that most Glaucoma cases can be detected early with complex eye exams and if treatment commences immediately, they will never go blind/lose their vision.

What Causes Glaucoma?

The fact is that, medically, there are really no known causes of Glaucoma, however, there are so many theories out there about the real causes of the disease. Most Glaucoma cases have been linked with hightened or elevated eye pressures. There are also several other risk factors that have been linked with Glaucoma development such as:

1. Genetics
2. Age
3. History of Trauma
4. High blood pressure
5. Diabetes

5. Keratoconus

This is the fifth eye disease for older adults under consideration and it is simply the progressive eye disease of the cornea (The first window to the eye that often leads to blurry and distorted eyesight.)

The Keratoconus can become so complicated that it may eventually require a cornea transplant if not caught early.

Common Symptoms of Keratoconus

1. Blurry visions and shadowing of letters which usually comes from the irregular astigmatism that’s caused by the shape of the cone of the eye. Usually, if Keratoconus is left to progress unchecked, it often leads to the scarring of the cornea which in turn causes an increase in the amount of glare which eventually become so bad that it cannot even be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
   
   In Extreme condition of Keratoconus, the cornea can become so thin and painful which is why it is important to catch it early and help to slow it down. You can reach out to Vision Planet eye clinic for a proper eye check and discussions about any of your eye concerns.
   
2. Other symptoms are often associated with Keratoconus such as increased sensitivity to light and glare, having real difficulty seeing at night, and a constant need for eyeglass prescription change.

Causes Of Keratoconus

Just as other eye diseases, the causes of Ketatoconous are complex and not fully understood at this time, however, some experts believe Keratocounous is caused by some Enzymatic breakdown

So far, we have tried to outline and describe 5 Common Eye Disease In Older Adults and their quick fixes. Which of these do you think is commonest or which do you think you may need help with? – Whatever your answer is, please let us know it in the comment section below.