How to Maintain Your Eye Health as You Age: 8 Tips to Protect Your Vision for Life
physical-health
As we age, maintaining eye health becomes even more important. Some vision changes can be natural part of aging. However, several eye problems can cause symptoms that impact your daily life, such as:
- Reduced ability to see things up close
- Difficulty telling the difference between similar colors
- Needing more time to adjust to light or dark
With the right lifestyle habits, you may be able to prevent serious eye problems and protect your eyesight and enjoy a full, active life. In this article, we'll explore the healthy lifestyle habits that can help protect your vision as you age.
How Does Age Affect Your Eyes?
Aging causes changes all over your body, including your eyes. Common age-related eye changes include:
- Reduced tear production
- Cloudiness and reduced flexibility in the lens of the eye (the clear structure at the front of your eye that focuses light)
- Shrinking vitreous humor (the jelly-like fluid in the middle of your eye)
- Protein deposits (called drusen) on the macula (the center of the retina, the light sensitive tissue at the back of your eye)
These changes can result in several age-related eye diseases. We’ll review some of the most common age-related eye diseases below.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition where you lose your central vision. Your central vision is what you see directly in front of you. The most common cause of AMD is a buildup of drusen.
AMD affects about 20 million adults in the United States (U.S.). It’s the most common cause of vison loss in people over 60 years.
Many people with AMD don’t realize they have it until the condition becomes serious because AMD often doesn’t cause any symptoms in the early stages.
Cataracts
Cataracts happen when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. People with cataracts may feel like they’re looking through fog or a dusty window.
Cataracts develop when proteins in the lens break down. After the age of 40, lens protein breakdown begins to happen naturally. By the age of 60, most people have some cloudiness in the lens of their eye, even if they don’t have any vision problems. In the U.S., more than half of people over the age of 80 have cataracts or have had cataract surgery.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye disease that can eventually cause blindness by damaging the optic nerve — the nerve responsible for transmitting signals from your eyes to your brain. The most common type of glaucoma is open-angle glaucoma. It’s caused by increased pressure inside the eye.
Glaucoma affects about 3 million people in the U.S. and is the second most common cause of vision loss and blindness around the world.
Like AMD, many people with early-stage glaucoma don’t realize they have the condition because it often doesn’t cause any symptoms. Unlike AMD, vision loss typically begins in the peripheral (side) vision instead of in the central vision.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy (also known as diabetes-related retinopathy) is an eye condition that damages the blood vessels in the retina. As the name suggests, diabetic retinopathy can happen in people with diabetes, a condition that causes high blood sugar. More than half of people with diabetes eventually develop diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common eye problem in people with diabetes. However, people with diabetes also have a higher risk of cataracts and glaucoma.
How Can You Protect Your Vision as You Age?
Many eye problems become more common with age. However, you can take action today to help safeguard your vision with some simple lifestyle habits.
1. Routine Eye Exams
One of the most important things you can do to protect your vision is by having routine eye exams by an eye care professional, such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist. A comprehensive eye exam can help detect vision-threatening eye problems before they cause symptoms. This is especially important since conditions like AMD and glaucoma often don’t cause symptoms until later stages of the disease when they’re harder to treat.
During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye care professional will perform several tests, including:
- Visual acuity test — a test to check how clearly you can read letters up close and far away
- Visual field test — a test to check how well you can see objects in your peripheral vision
- Eye muscle function test — a test to check how well you can use the muscles around your eyes to follow a moving object
- Pupil response test — a test to check how your pupils react to light
- Tonometry test — a test to measure the pressure in your eye using a puff of air on your eye
- Eye dilation — a test that allows your doctor to look inside your eye after you get special eye drops to dilate (widen) your pupil (the opening at the center of your eye that light passes through)
How Often Do You Need an Eye Exam?
You should see an eye care professional as soon as possible if you notice any new changes in your vision. If you don’t have any symptoms or vision changes, the frequency that you need an eye exam depends on your age and health conditions.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that all adults over the age of 40 get a baseline eye exam. A baseline eye exam can help you discover early signs of eye problems and servers as a comparison for future eye exams. If you don’t have any eye symptoms or chronic (long-term) health conditions, it’s recommended get another eye exam every 2 to 4 years.
You may need an eye exam more frequently, such as every 1 to 2 years, if:
- You’re over the age of 60
- You’re African American
- You have a family member with glaucoma
- You have diabetes
Talk to your primary care provider and eye care professional to learn how often you should get an eye exam.
2. Manage Chronic Health Conditions
Several chronic health conditions can increase your risk of developing eye problems that can affect your vision. As you age, your risk of chronic health problems also increases. The good news is that many of these conditions can be prevented or managed with lifestyle changes, medication, and medical treatments.
Diabetes
High blood sugar in people with diabetes can damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina. This damage can make the blood vessels leak fluid and blood or block blood flow to the retina. Blood vessel changes from high blood sugar in the retina can increase your risk of several different eye problems including:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic macular edema (when blood vessels leak fluid onto the macula)
- Retinal detachment (when the retina pulls away from the back of the eye)
Keeping your blood sugars in a healthy range can help prevent eye problems, like diabetic retinopathy. Work with your healthcare provider to find a treatment plan that works for you.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is when the force of blood pushing against the blood vessels is too strong. Over time, high blood pressure can damage the tiny blood vessels in the eye and increase your risk of:
- Retinopathy
- Choroidopathy (fluid buildup under the retina)
- Optic neuropathy (optic nerve damage from blocked blood flow)
- Glaucoma
- AMD
- Stroke-related vision loss
Healthy lifestyle habits and medication can help you keep your blood pressure in a healthy range and reduce your risk of serious eye conditions.
High Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of fat that’s found in your blood. Having high cholesterol is a well-known risk factor for heart disease. That’s because cholesterol can buildup on the walls of your arteries, blocking blood flow. High cholesterol has been found to increase the risk for glaucoma. However, cholesterol-lowering medications called statins can help lower this risk.
Other Health Conditions
Other chronic health problems linked to an increased risk of eye problems include:
- Overweight and obesity
- Autoimmune conditions
- Migraines
- Circulation problems
- Shingles
Ask your healthcare provider if you have a health condition that could affect your vision later on. If you do, you may need more frequent eye exams.
3. Avoid Smoking
Smoking cigarettes or using tobacco products increases your risk of several eye problems, including AMD and cataracts. It can also worsen eye problems like diabetic retinopathy. It’s thought that smoking increases inflammation all over your body and can make some age-related eye problems progress faster.
If you smoke, talk to your healthcare provider about how to quit. There are several free resources and support groups to help. If you don’t smoke, protecting your vision one more reason not to start.
4. Eat a Healthy Diet
A healthy, well-balanced diet can help reduce your risk of certain eye conditions. In general, a diet that’s low in fat and high in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can help keep your eyes healthy. Plus, a healthy diet can also lower your risk of the health conditions associated with vision problems, like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals may help prevent or delay some eye disease, such as AMD and cataracts. Foods to consider adding to your diet include:
- Foods high in vitamin A — carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, and cantaloupe
- Foods high in vitamin C — citrus fruit, peaches, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries
- Foods high in vitamin E — avocados, almonds, and sunflower seeds
- Foods high in lutein and zeaxanthin — leafy green vegetables (like kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli) and eggs
- Foods high in zinc — such as beans, oysters, lean red meat, chicken, and fortified cereals
Your healthcare provider or a registered dietician can help you find ways to integrate these foods into your diet.
5. Stay Active
Exercise helps you stay healthy, but did you know it can also help protect your vision? Staying active can help prevent and manage the health conditions that can threaten your vision, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise and two days of muscle-strengthening exercises every week for all adults. That’s about 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.
6. Protect Your Eyes from the Sun
Just as ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun can damage your skin, it can also damage your eyes. Wearing a hat and sunglasses outside can help protect your eyes from harmful UV light.
More UV light exposure can increase your risk of eye problems, including:
- AMD
- Cataracts
- Eyelid cancer
- Pinguecula — an abnormal growth on the conjunctiva (the clear membrane that covers the eye)
- Pterygium — also known as surfer’s eye, this is an abnormal growth that starts in the corner of the eye and grows towards the center
If you’ll be in the sun, make sure to bring your sunglasses and a hat to shield your eyes from the sun and protect your vision.
7. Prioritize Healthy Sleep
Poor quality sleep is tied to a number of different health risks, including eye problems. A 2019 study found that people with poor sleep were more likely to develop glaucoma. In this study, risk factors for glaucoma included:
- Getting less than 3 hours of sleep every night
- Getting 10 hours or more of sleep every night
- Falling asleep in less than 9 minutes
- Needing more than 30 minutes to fall asleep
- Feeling daytime sleepiness that interferes with your memory or ability to participate in hobbies
If you have trouble sleeping or feel tired during the day despite a full night of sleep, talk to your healthcare provider. Improving your sleep habits can improve your overall health and help prevent glaucoma.
8. Take a Break from Screens
If you’ve ever spent all day staring at your computer, you know it can make your eyes tired. Although staring at a screen won’t permanently harm your vision, it can cause eye strain. When you look at a screen for a long period of time, it can cause blurry vision and dry, uncomfortable eyes.
You can minimize eye strain while working on your computer with the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes you look at a screen, look at something about 20 feet away for about 20 seconds.
Protect Your Vision as You Age
Vision changes can be a natural part of aging, but that doesn’t mean they’re inevitable. By making healthy lifestyle choices, you can significantly lower your risk of serious eye problems. Remember, small habits add up over time. Taking proactive steps now can help you maintain clear vision and continue enjoying the activities you love for many years to come.
