Regular eye exams a key to cognitive health
Regular eye exams have always been an important part of maintaining healthy vision, but it turns out they can help keep your brain healthy, too. New research is revealing just how connected eye health and brain health are, and how receiving regular eye treatment might mean the difference between a healthy brain and cognitive decline.
That’s according to the authors of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology this summer. Researchers examined 2,520 adults age 65 and older over the course a decade and found a link between failing vision and mental decline. The exact nature of the relationship still needs to be better understood, but one thing is clear: research shows that taking care of your vision is extremely important for maintaining good cognitive function.
The reasons behind the connection might be that declining vision discourages people from activities like reading and crossword puzzles that challenge the brain and keep it active. But whatever the root cause, the key takeaway stands out: older adults should get regular eye checkups and undergo treatment right away for any issues.
Two of the most common age-related vision problems – cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – have common treatments available that can help keep vision crisp, and potentially help reduce the risk of associated mental decline.