Seniors and Eye Vision

The month of February is Low Vision Awareness Month. During this month, Akkase’s reliable home care professionals want to raise awareness of the importance of getting your senior loved one’s eyes checked. 

An eye vision exam can help detect any eye disease early and help a person with vision loss to take the next steps. 

What is low vision?

Low vision is when you have a visual impairment that cannot be corrected using glasses, contacts or any kind of surgery. It can impair vision gradually and even result in complete sight loss over the years. 

Common eye problems in seniors

As you or a loved one starts to age, your vision can begin to change and decrease. The good news is some solutions can relieve the discomfort and improve your vision. Here are some common eye problems that an aging loved one could experience. 

Presbyopia 

This type of eye problem is when you lose the ability to see items up close or small print. A common sign that your aging loved one might have presbyopia because hold things at arms length to read. One solution is taking your aging loved one to get reading glasses. 

Floaters

Floaters are specks that float around your vision. These spots can be normal, but when light flashes accompany them, they could indicate eye problems. If your aging loved one has noticed an increase of spots or light flashes, see an eye doctor. 

Dry eyes

If your aging loved one has noticed their eye feeling uncomfortable and dry, this could mean they have dry eyes. This eye problem can cause discomfort, itching and even create some vision loss. 

Tearing 

Not only is having dry eyes bad but having teary eyes is bad too. If you’ve noticed a loved one’s eyes tearing too much, they could have an eye infection or blocked tear duct.

Common eye diseases in seniors 

Most of the time, people do not know they have eye disease because there are very few or no symptoms. Getting an eye vision exam regularly can help detect eye diseases. Our reliable home care experts want to share some of the most common eye diseases that result in vision loss for seniors. 

Cataracts

A cataract is a type of eye disease that causes the lens in the eyes to become cloudy. It creates an individual’s vision to become blurry. This type of eye condition is treatable with surgery. 

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve that causes pressure inside your eye. This type of eye disease does not show any symptoms or pain. If it is not detected and left untreated, it can lead to vision loss or complete blindness. 

How to protect a senior's eye vision

The best way to protect your aging parents’ or loved one’s vision is with an eye exam. It is recommended that people over the age of 60 need to get a dilated eye exam every year. Skipping out on an eye exam could result in not detecting an eye problem or disease early on. 

If you have an aging loved one who lives at home alone with low vision, consider hiring a caregiver. Our reliable home care professionals can assist them in getting around their home, provide hygiene assistance and even take them to their eye appointments. Contact us to schedule a consultation.