Vision problems commonly associated with growing older

Everyone ages differently and a wide range of variables affect your eyesight, but several eye disorders are closely related to the march of time. The iris muscle may become less elastic or the retina may become thinner. Many people become increasingly far-sighted as they get older. Eye diseases, especially cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, presbyopia, ptosis and blephartis,  occur with greater regularity in older patients

That doesn't mean you should resign yourself to vision problems in your old age. With regular screening and appropriate diagnosis and treatment, many age-related vision problems can be delayed or prevented altogether.

There are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of age-related eye diseases:

Know your risk factors. Talk to your eye doctor about any genetic factors, lifestyle choices, diseases, and exposures that might place you in a higher risk category for certain diseases.

Even if you have no risk factors, have a baseline eye exam at age 40. If you have no vision problems or obvious risk factors, a baseline exam will establish a standard against which future exam results can be compared.

If you have risk factor, get screened more often. You should have an eye examinations more often If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of eye disease.

Listen to your body. Report any new symptoms. Tell your eye doctor if your vision changes, especially if you have macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy