Losing your eyesight is highly considered to be the worst losses anyone can experience. Fortunately, a lot of us will not suffer from total blindness, but millions, who inquire about the LASIK eye surgery cost, are presently living with some kind of visual impairment.
The National Eye Institute (NEI) claims that older adults constitute the majority of the visually impaired population in the United States. Although vision loss is very common later in life, it is especially difficult for the elderly to acknowledge and adapt to since other senses like hearing, smell and taste usually weaken as we age as well. You can make sure an aging loved one is properly cared for and request laser eye surgery cost for their eyes to take advantage of the resources available to help them with their vision loss.
As soon as you reach the age of 60 and beyond, you should be aware of any warning signs of age-related eye health problems that could result in vision loss. Sadly, many eye diseases do not have any early symptoms. Also, an elderly loved one may have an eye disease that develops painlessly or goes unnoticed until the condition is quite severe. The earlier you manage to detect and treat these eye conditions, the more likely the patient can maintain good vision.
How To Maintain Visual Health?
One of the first things to do when you want to lead a safe and active life with impaired vision is to understand the severity and underlying cause of the vision loss.
Many ophthalmologists recommend that people who are 65 years of age and older should get a dilated medical eye exam every year or two. During this eye exam, the eye doctor will assess a patient’s eyesight and check out their overall health and function of both eyes.
Checking for new or worsening eye conditions and maintaining a current prescription for eyeglasses and/or contacts are important for the best visual function at any age.
Most of the time, vision loss is a very slow process, so the elderly (and their immediate family) might not even know how impaired their eyesight has become. Family members and caregivers can take account of an elderly person’s vision by looking for any developments in the following:
- You notice them fall or walk carefully.
- They miss objects when they try to reach for them.
- They stop doing everyday vision-related activities such as reading or writing.
- They bump into things or knock things over.
- They squint or tilt their head when trying to focus.
What Causes Vision Loss?
As we age, our vision starts to decline. Therefore, it becomes more challenging to read the fine print, to move around in the dim light, or to distinguish the difference between black and navy blue. These vision changes are a normal part of aging and don’t usually mean you have to ask about the LASIK eye surgery cost any time soon. However, more serious forms of eye conditions can happen as a person ages.
Not to mention that people of any age who suffered from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or a brain tumor could experience several physical changes, which includes vision loss. This loss may be temporary, but also could be permanent.
As mentioned before, it is common for older people to experience vision loss, but their poor eyesight could be due to one of these four conditions:
- Macular degeneration
- Glaucoma
- Cataracts
- Diabetic Retinopathy
Here are the most common symptoms and warning signs:
Macular Degeneration: A person usually experiences vision loss in the center of the eye, blurred vision, when they look at straight lines they appear wavy, they require more light to see, and oftentimes affects one or both eyes.
Glaucoma: Moderate loss of peripheral vision. Sufferers experience difficulty driving at night and sense a loss of contrast.
Cataracts: People with cataracts have hazy vision, complain about difficulties driving at night, double vision, have problems telling colors apart, and have a sensitivity to glare.
Diabetic Retinopathy: Diabetics frequently suffer from blurred or changing vision, find it hard to read, complain of floaters, and their central or peripheral vision becomes affected.
Treatment Options
Some of these conditions can be treated if they are diagnosed early enough. However, if they are left undiagnosed or treated, it could leave the patient with severe eye loss, or even blindness. Also, sometimes the damage that has occurred is permanent, but further vision loss can be prevented if you ask for LASIK eye surgery cost when you schedule a consultation with your ophthalmologist. If the patient is diabetic, it is important to stabilize their blood glucose levels, so they can prevent diabetic retinopathy from ever happening. However, if the condition has already developed, laser surgery can sometimes prevent further loss. When there is an advanced retinopathy, it is usually treated with a microsurgery called vitrectomy, which removes and replaces eye fluid.
How To Improve The Home For Those with Poor Vision?
There are many affordable ways and simple changes you can make in the house to help your loved one or someone you know to stay safe and comfortable.
Here are the most common improvements:
Reduce glare and get better lighting – adding more lamps and lighting throughout the residence can help the individual use the remaining vision they have left effectively. See what quality of light (white or yellow) is easier for them.
It is also important to reduce glare in the home. Do so by installing blinds or shades on windows in the house and make them wear anti-glare sunglasses and visors outdoors.
Highlight Dark And Light Contrasts Within The Home – create contrasting colors using paint or tape to help the person with eye loss find and use items in the house. For instance, make sure that plates, cups, and utensils contrast with the countertops and table to help them to prepare their food and dine with minimal struggle. Also, find outlet covers that create a contrast between the power supply and the wall, so they can easily find the light switch. Make sure the towels in the bathroom have a color that contrasts with the walls and install handrails along staircases that contrast with the walls to prevent them from falling.
Vision loss is very common as we age, but when vision problems become too serious there could be an underlying condition that is very easy and painless to treat. If you want further information to help you or someone you know who is suffering from vision loss, give Excel Laser Vision Institute a call at + (818) 907-8606 today.
