It’s inevitable that, as your parents get older, they will need stronger eyeglass prescriptions. However, while age is a risk factor for many conditions, eye disease can be prevented and treated, no matter what age they are. Vision loss from eye disease is not a natural part of aging. In most cases, vision loss can be treated if caught and treated early.
Here’s how to spot signs of vision loss in your aging parents.
Signs of Vision Loss
There are any number of reasons why a parent may not mention problems with their eyesight. Perhaps they are preoccupied with other health problems, such as loss of mobility, hearing or memory. Sometimes they will try to hide their vision loss because they don’t want to accept that it’s happening.
You can help your parents to take preventative steps to protect their eyesight by being able to recognize the signs of vision loss. Some of those signs of vision loss in seniors are as follows:
- Difficulty adjusting to changes in lighting
- An increased sensitivity to light and glare as when reading glossy magazines
- Mismatched clothes, socks, etc. signifies a difficulty distinguishing colours
- Increased awkwardness (bumping into objects or people, missing steps and falling more often, difficulty finding food on their plate)
- Finding it hard to distinguish between different objects
- Reduced night vision
- Straight lines appear wavy to them
- Difficulty reading small print as on a medicine bottle or in a phone book
- Trouble recognizing faces or seeing the TV as well as they used to
Other, more intuitive signs of vision loss in seniors include:
- A usually outgoing and sociable parent becoming suddenly withdrawn and shy
- Stopping activities they used to enjoy such as sewing, reading and playing board games
A parent may withdraw from social circles for fear of embarrassing themselves.
Medical Conditions That Cause Vision Loss
Several medical conditions can cause age-related vision loss in older people. The most common ones are:
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Cataracts
Some of these conditions have symptoms you can watch for, but others, like glaucoma, have no symptoms until significant vision changes occur. Age-related vision loss can be corrected in many cases, if caught early enough. It’s very important that you encourage your parents to have their eyes checked regularly.
After Diagnosis
If your parent is diagnosed with an eye disease, get the facts. You’ll want to ask the eye doctor about the eye condition, how your parent’s eyesight will be affected, what treatments are available and the steps to take to limit further vision loss.
Support services, like those available at CNIB can help you and your parents adjust to changes more easily. Contact them any time for answers to questions and information on prevention and vision health.
