SPECIAL SECTION: HEALTHY LIVING
visit, your pupils will be dilated, or widened, so that your eye care
professional can examine the back of the eye for damage or disease. It is
important to know your family’s eye health history as well, since some
conditions are hereditary. Some of the most common eye diseases
include diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related
macular degeneration (AMD).
Diabetic Retinopathy: This type 1 or type 2 diabetic
complication is caused by damage to blood vessels in the retina,
the light-sensitive tissues in the back of the eye. If left untreated,
diabetic retinopathy could cause blindness. Early stages of this
condition may go unnoticed if an eye care professional is not
visited yearly. As the condition progresses, symptoms may include
blurred vision, impaired color vision, floaters, and/or dark areas
in your vision. Symptoms may occur if there is too much sugar in
your blood, which can cause a blockage in the blood vessels that
lead to the retina. Proper management of diabetes is the best way
to prevent vision loss.
u Glaucoma: The second leading cause of blindness, glaucoma is
a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve. The risk of
developing glaucoma increases with age and if parents or siblings
have the disease. During an eye exam, glaucoma can be detected
by measuring eye pressure, inspecting the drainage angle of the
eye, evaluating the health of the optic nerve and testing the visual
field of each eye. Depending on the type and severity of the
disease, glaucoma can be treated through eye drops, medication
or surgery.
u Cataracts: A cataract affects vision by clouding the lens of the
eye. Chances of cataracts increase greatly with age, with more
than half of all Americans either having a cataract or having had
cataract surgery by the age of 80. People in their 40s and 50s
can have cataracts, but they are typically small and do not affect
vision. Cataracts are detected by blurred vision, faded colors,
glare from headlights or lamps, poor night vision, double vision,
or frequent prescription changes in eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Early detection can improve cataracts through new eyeglasses,
anti-glare sunglasses or brighter lighting. Surgery can also be done
to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial lens.
u Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): One of the
common, but lesser known eye conditions is AMD. A leading
cause of vision loss among people 50 years of age and older, AMD
affects the macula, the millions of light-sensing cells that provide
your eye with sharp, central vision. Age is a major risk factor
for developing AMD, with most cases occurring after the age of
60. Genetics, race, and smoking can also affect risk for AMD. A
comprehensive eye exam can detect AMD through dilation and
testing. Your eye care professional will look for yellow deposits
beneath the retina to determine if you have AMD. Intermediate
and late AMD can be treated with daily intake of vitamins and
minerals that can slow the progression of the disease. Therapy and
surgery can also be considered for types of advanced neovascular
AMD, which typically results in severe vision loss, to stop further
progression.
u
Hearing Loss and Prevention
It is common for hearing loss to occur as you age. According to the
Mayo Clinic, about 25 percent of people in the United States between
the ages of 55 and 64 have some degree of hearing loss, increasing
to one in two people by age 65 and older. Chronic exposur