Ways Aging Impacts Your Vision And How You Can Minimize The Effects
When you were a child, you probably didn't give much thought to your eyes and how important they are to you. Your parents told you to turn on the light when you read. They said that sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes. To you as a child, it was nothing more than annoying. As you age, you realize that your eyes are not as invincible as you once thought they were.
Here are a few ways aging impacts your vision and how you can minimize the effects:
The Effects of Aging on Your Eyes
Like the rest of your body, your eyes are often adversely affected by aging. While you might think that disease is responsible for your declining vision, it is likely that natural changes that occur in your eye as you age are responsible instead. There are a few common ways these changes occur:
- Smaller and less responsive pupils: The pupil is the part of your eye that is responsible for letting in light. When the pupil becomes smaller in diameter, it can be more difficult to see in dim light. The pupil also becomes less responsive to light, making it more difficult for your eyes to adapt to changing light such as when you go from bright lights to darkness and back again.
- The lens becomes less elastic: As with other parts of your body, losing elasticity makes it harder for the lens of your eye to move. This can make it more difficult for your lens to bend so that you can focus on objects that are close, a condition called presbyopia.
- Gradual yellowing of the lens: The perception of color is changed when your eye begins to yellow. You could have difficulty seeing differences between colors such as green, violet, and blue. Colors could seem duller and less bright. You might also have a difficult time differentiating between objects and not be able to tell where one ends and the other begins.
Minimizing the Effects of Aging on Your Eyes
There are some things that you can do to help you cope with the inevitable aging of your eyes. The first thing that you should do is to set up a routine eye exam and stick to the schedule. Your eye care professional will know what's best.
Be prepared to visit your eye care professional more often as you begin to age as well as when you begin to have vision problems. Be sure to bring up any concerns you have about your vision. In addition, using more lighting that is glare-free and specialized visual aids can help you see more clearly.
These above methods will help you minimize the effects of aging on your eyes. The more you are aware of what could happen, the better your chances of preventing future problems. To learn more, contact a company like Naples Optical Center Inc. with any questions or concerns you have.
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