Keep your vision.
As people age, vision decline often becomes a concern, but experts suggest there are steps you can take to protect your eyesight as you get older. While the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy increases with age, vision loss is not inevitable, according to the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS).
Good vision is crucial for staying active, and studies show that older adults with visual impairments are more likely to develop dementia. To help preserve your sight, the ASRS offers several recommendations.
First, it’s essential to recognize the signs of common retinal conditions. AMD, which affects nearly 20 million Americans, is a leading cause of vision loss in older adults. Diabetic retinopathy, impacting 9.6 million Americans, is the main cause of blindness in working-age adults. Symptoms of AMD include distorted vision, dull colors, and loss of central vision, while diabetic retinopathy can cause blurry vision, floaters, difficulty reading, and eye pressure.
Knowing your family’s vision health history is another key factor. Retinal conditions can have a genetic link, so it’s important to ask older family members about their eye health. Other risk factors include age, smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Adopting healthy habits can also help maintain retinal health. Quitting smoking, staying active, managing blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, eating nutrient-rich foods like leafy greens and fish, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular eye exams are all effective ways to protect your vision.
Finally, it’s important to consult a retina specialist for expert care. These specialists have extensive medical training in ophthalmology and retinal diseases. When choosing or changing health insurance, be sure to research whether the plan requires preauthorization for tests or treatments and be mindful of policies like step therapy, which could impact your access to recommended treatments.
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