Did you know
6.5 million Americans have severe visual impairments? In fact, the number of Americans impacted by vision loss is on the rise and is expected to double by 2030. Low vision describes disease related visual impairments that cannot be fully treated or corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medications and/or surgical operations. Low vision is measured via visual acuity ranging between 20/70 and 20/200 with corrective lenses and tends to decline as we age. Normal visual acuity measures 20/20, which means one is able to see clearly 20 feet away from an object; 20/100 would represent an individual who can see 20 feet of what someone at 100 feet with normal vision could see.
Low vision symptoms develop as a result from the four most common eye diseases affecting different areas of the eye within older Americans including cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.
Symptoms and causes of these age-related eye diseases include:
• Cloudy vision as a result from cataracts
• Blurred or partially obscured central vision from macular degeneration
• Blind spots or visual distortions from diabetic retinopathy
• Poor peripheral vision from glaucoma
• Genetics
• Demographics
• Lifestyle modifications
While we cannot change our genetic or demographic characteristics, the risk of developing eye diseases and visual impairments can be prevented through our modifiable risk factors and lifestyle modifications, such as eating a healthy diet, avoiding the use of tobacco products, maintaining a healthy weight, wearing protection to reduce injury and from UV light.
Early detection is imperative to reducing your risk of visual impairments; your risk can be reduced through checkups with your eye doctor. The American Optometric Association recommends Americans over the age of 60 to get their vision checked annually or as symptoms are noticed.
Don’t wait too late! With low vision, the ability to carry out safely become four times more difficult than someone who does not experience visual impairments or low vision. Vision loss can increase our risk of falls and our risk of depression while decreasing our ability to properly identify medications and to carry out activities of daily living, including bathing, feeding and dressing.
While the complications associated to low vision can be frustrating and the individual may feel less independent, there are techniques and treatment to help cope with visual impairments, such as:
• Lighting modifications
• Magnification of objects for reading and writing
• Audio enhancements for caller ID, watches, books
• Utilization of color contrasts for objects used for dressing, feeding and bathing
If you feel a change or symptoms related to your visual acuity or it’s time for your annual checkup, ask your doctor if they feel therapy could further assist you or if visual aids are required! It’s important to be pro-active in your overall approach to living a healthy, independent lifestyle. Read More information on our blog for healthy senior living at St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor, FL.
