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Fitango EducationHealth Topics

Vision problems

1

Overview

There are several types of eye problems and visual disturbances. These include blurred vision, halos, blind spots, floaters, and other symptoms.

2

Overview

Changes in vision, blurriness, blind spots, halos around lights, or dimness of vision should always be evaluated by a medical professional. Such changes may represent an eye disease, aging, eye injury, or a condition like diabetes that affects many organs in your body.

For the most severe form of visual loss, see blindness.

3

Overview

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003040.htm

4

Symptoms

Growing older does not always lead to poor vision, but age often triggers many vision problems. For example, some typical vision problems affecting older people include:

-- difficulty seeing well in dim light

5

Symptoms

-- difficulty seeing when going from bright light to dark and vice-versa

-- a sensitivity to glare and bright lights

-- difficulty distinguishing colors, seeing close objects or reading small print.

6

Symptoms

If you start to exhibit any of these symptoms, speak with a health care professional about potential vision problems.

7

Treatment

Using reading glasses or bifocals, a magnifying glass, and better lighting can be very helpful, and holding reading material where the bifocal lens focuses on the page is extremely important.

More serious eye conditions or diseases may be treated with eye drops or medicines, while some of the most serious problems require surgery.

8

Treatment

A good preventive measure is a yearly checkup by an eye doctor (description follows) to determine if a vision problem is correctable by prescription glasses, or if the problem needs further workup.

9

Prevention

Not much can be done to prevent vision problems that come with age, but a healthc are professional might suggest the following:

-- Schedule yearly visits to the eye specialist

10

Prevention

-- Have the older person's medicines checked regularly for side effects on vision. The most common problem reported is dry and irritated eyes. Severe side effects are usually related to an overdose of medicine

-- Make the house brighter and objects more visible. Electrical cords, shag carpets, and knick-knacks on the floor should be removed or arranged so as they do not hinder walking.

11

Prevention

http://www.healthinaging.org/resources/resource:eldercare-at-home-vision-problems/

12

Facts

Though there are many different types of vision problems, the most common are cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, **

13

Facts**Cataracts**

Cataracts occur when the lens of the eye, which is transparent at birth and in younger years, becomes cloudy. The development of cataracts reduces the amount of light passing through the lens. This causes a decrease in vision. Removing the lens of the eye and replacing it with a clear plastic lens implant is a safe and effective operation that can be done as an outpatient procedure. Normal activities can be resumed as early as the day following the procedure. There is an immediate and dramatic i

14

Facts**Age-Related Macular Degeneration**

People with this condition have trouble seeing with their central, or straight-ahead, vision. This happens when the macula, a very small part of the inside of the eye, degenerates. The macula is responsible for seeing fine details in the center of the field of vision. The straight-ahead vision becomes distorted or missing.

15

Facts**Age-Related Macular Degeneration**

Once the vision loss has stabilized, the older person should see a low vision specialist to help maximize the use of his or her remaining useful vision. Laser surgery might help in some cases of macular degeneration.

16

Facts**Age-Related Macular Degeneration**

There are many low-vision aids available which can be beneficial. Consult a local medical or optometry school, or other organizations that help the visually impaired for a low vision evaluation. It is important to remember that macular degeneration affects only the macula and, therefore, only central, straight-ahead vision. This is important to know because the rest of the back of the eye still functions. Macular degeneration will not cause one to go completely blind. People with macular degener

17

Facts**Age-Related Macular Degeneration**

-- Magnifying lenses

-- Video enlargement systems

-- Computer display and enlargement systems

-- Large-print items

-- Special papers and writing aids

18

Facts**Age-Related Macular Degeneration**

-- Adaptive appliances

-- Speech software for computer systems

19

Facts**Glaucoma**

Chronic glaucoma is a disease in which vision is slowly lost because the pressure of the fluid inside the eye becomes too high for that person's eye. This pressure damages the optic nerve, which is like a "telephone wire" that sends information from the back of the eye to the brain. The high pressure of glaucoma can lead to blindness. In the beginning, peripheral vision is lost, with all vision eventually being lost.

20

Facts**Glaucoma**

The usual treatment is taking medicine eye drops on a regular basis for the rest of the person's life. Surgery is also sometimes performed, but initial treatment is customarily by medicines. Once vision is lost, it cannot be restored. The treatment goal is to prevent further vision loss.

21

Facts**Glaucoma**

Glaucoma may be hereditary. It is more common among Latinos, African-Americans, people who have had previous eye injuries, and people with diabetes. Early detection is important.

22

Facts**Glaucoma**

Acute glaucoma is rare, but important, because it can be effectively treated. In this condition pressure in the eye rises suddenly, and is accompanied by redness and pain in the eye, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, blurring of vision, and seeing halos around lights. This is an emergency and needs immediate attention by an eye doctor.

**Diabetic Retinopathy**

23

Facts**Glaucoma**

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in this country. Diabetes can cause the blood vessels in the back of an eye to leak or get plugged up, resulting in blindness. Regular visits to the eye doctor and monitoring blood sugar will help prevent this treatable condition.

24

Facts**Glaucoma**

A recent study has shown that better blood sugar control may help prevent or slow the onset of diabetic eye problems and decrease the need for laser treatments. Laser treatment and other types of surgery can improve vision and prevent further vision loss.

http://www.healthinaging.org/resources/resource:eldercare-at-home-vision-problems/