Your eyes cannot escape the hands of time. And so, your vision changes and develops over the course of your life.
Considering how much your eyes change throughout your life, it’s important to be aware of key aspects of eye health and vision changes that are specific to each phase of life.
In the U.S., there were 24.4 million cases of cataracts in 2010, and the number is expected to double to 50 million by 2050, according to the National Eye Institute.
A cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens inside the eye which leads to a decline in vision. Aging is the most common reason for a cataract, but other factors include disease, trauma, and certain medications. Most cataracts grow slowly over decades, but some may progress more quickly.
The crystalline lens is the structure located in the middle of the eye, in front of the retina, but behind the iris (colored part). All light that enters the eye goes through the cornea and the lens to get to the retina. If a cataract is affecting the lens, distorted vision is the result. Glasses and contacts are unable to correct the vision until the cataract is removed.
Approximately 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with dry eye, and millions more have symptoms but remain undiagnosed. Dry eye can result from inadequate tear production or poor tear quality. Symptoms include:
Those over 65 and female are most likely to have symptoms. However, children are commonly diagnosed due to their significant digital device use. Once you have been diagnosed, it is important to understand that dry eye is a chronic condition that will always require treatment.
Your doctor will prescribe dry eye treatment tailored to your eyes, however, there are several lifestyle changes you can make to alleviate or improve your symptoms.
Remember the classic song, When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, by the Platters? While it’s true the occasional plume of smoke from a campfire wafting directly into your eyes never feels good, the discomfort is usually short-lived and typically relegated to minor irritation, stinging, and brief tearing up.
Regardless, you never want to experience eye irritation from any outside, environmental factors – and there are certainly many more dangerous, damaging, and even surprising environmental factors than a puff of wood smoke to be aware of.
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) affects 10 million Americans each year. The number of cases is expected to rise as we are living longer.
More research and funding are being dedicated to this disease than ever before, yet there is still much we do not know.
