As you get older, your eyes become increasingly valuable: they allow you to read the fine print on insurance forms and credit card contracts; they keep your driving skills intact, they help you maintain your balance and keep you from falling. Yet, as you get older, your eyes tend to get old with you.

The process usually starts with a realization that you have to hold books or newspapers at arms length to read them; and even then, your arms seem to be getting shorter.

The problem is a virtually universal condition known as presbyopia, or literally “old eyes.”  Starting in the early to mid-40s, the lens of the eye begins to thicken and lose the elasticity that allows it to focus sharply on close-up objects or small print. People who wear glasses now require bifocals or trifocals; those who previously did not wear glasses need reading glasses.

There are other, more subtle, changes that take place, too.

With age, the size of the pupil in your eye becomes smaller and less capable of dilating rapidly to accommodate changes in light. Under normal lighting situations, an older person’s eyes receive 6 times less light than those of a 20-year-old. And in a low-light environment, the difference is dramatic: the “old” eye receives 16 times less light than the young one.

And while you may not realize it, your color vision — particularly your ability to discriminate between blues and blue-greens — becomes affected by age. Doctors believe this may be because of a yellowing of the lens.

Age-related changes in the lens and cornea of the eye also tend to scatter light rays and cause increased glare, washing out contrast. Spatial perception depends in part on this ability to detect and recognize contrast.

An aging eye also has difficulty adjusting to changing light levels. It requires more time to recover from the blinding glare of high beam headlights; and it takes longer to adjust when you walk into a darkened room.

Floaters are little shapes that look like specks of dirt or transparent amoeba floating in front of your eyes. They are impurities in the normally clear vitreous humor, a gelatinous fluid that fills the space between the lens of the eye and the image-producing retina at the back.

Floaters are common and normal, but sometimes they indicate a problem with the retina. See an eye doctor right away if you notice a sudden change in the type or number of floaters or if the floaters are accompanied by flashes of light.

Age-related macular degeneration affects the macula, the central portion of the retina that allows you to see fine detail. The most common form is dry macular degeneration which ordinarily causes only slight blurring of vision.

Dry macular degeneration can reach an advanced stage in which the blurred spot becomes larger, eventually destroying most of central vision. Or it can lead to wet macular degeneration, a condition in which abnormal blood vessels start to form under the retina. When these fragile blood vessels leak, they can cause major damage to eye structure and rather rapid loss of central vision.

Cataracts are cloudy spots that form in the lens of the eye. A cataract may grow slowly and cause no problem for many years; in such cases, there is no reason to do anything unless the cataract becomes big enough to interfere with vision.

Cataract removal, with insertion of an artificial intraocular lens, is now a relatively easy procedure with a high success rate.

Glaucoma involves a buildup of pressure within the eye either caused by an over-production of aqueous fluid within the eye or failure to drain this fluid properly. The increased pressure can damage the optic nerve, causing complete blindness.

For all eye problems, large and small, seniors need to be alert to possible dangers. Yearly examinations by an eye specialist are recommended after age 65.



Rupp is information and assistance case manager with the Northern Oklahoma Development Authority Area Agency on Aging.