HEALTHY EYES

Protect your vision at any age with these smart tips.

You get an annual physical, eat well and exercise, but are you doing everything you can to protect your vision? Eyes go through many changes over the years. And as we get older, the risk of eye-related conditions increases. But the good news is that by working with your ophthalmologist, you can treat or prevent most issues.

THE DEVELOPING EYE

“When we’re born, our vision is pretty poor,” says Craig See, M.D., an ophthalmologist with Cleveland Clinic. The eye is still small and the brain is rapidly developing. So when you smile at a newborn, they're not really developed enough to see that for the first few months. But as a baby grows, so do their eyes.

And while this process is occurring, ophthalmologists check for things like crossed or lazy eyes or signs a child needs glasses—an important part of ensuring their vision progresses correctly.

Vision continues to develop until about age 10 or so, says Lisa Park, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Then, when children begin to read and study a lot, it’s not uncommon for them to start needing glasses to see the chalkboard from the back of the classroom. This condition, known as myopia, is becoming more common in kids—one study found that it increased 1.4 to 3 times in children in 2020 following a pandemic year of increased screen time and less outdoor time.

20s– 30s

Most people in their 20s and 30s visit the eye doctor only for glasses or contact prescriptions or if they’ve suffered an eye injury. See advises people to practice contact lens hygiene to avoid eye infections and to never sleep in contacts. He also recommends taking frequent breaks from devices to avoid eye strain and wearing sunglasses to protect eyes from UV rays.

These are important years to use proper eye protection to avoid sports injuries and to wear safety goggles during projects. “Anytime you're working on something where you think you could hurt your hand or give yourself a splinter, I would put on safety goggles,”

See says.

40+

Starting in the 40s, it’s wise to make regular eye screenings a priority, at least to “make sure there are no issues going on,” Park says. During this decade, some people develop presbyopia, where eyes lose ability to see as clearly up close. “Patients often complain of a brow ache, achy eyes or difficulty reading,” Park says.

Reading glasses or an adjustment to your current lenses can help.

During regular eye exams, your ophthalmologist will also begin to screen for glaucoma, a condition where fluid buildup in the eye raises ocular pressure and can damage the optic nerve. While glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in people over 60, it can be treated with drops or surgery to lower the eye pressure.

The key, says Park, is to catch it early.

Toward the end of their 40s and into their 50s and beyond, some people begin to see floating spots.

These are common and due to the jellylike (vitreous) part of the eye breaking down with age. But seeing many new floaters at once accompanied by flashes of light may indicate a retinal detachment, which warrants an immediate call to your eye doctor.

50+

Those over 50 are at risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition where part of the retina known as the macula becomes damaged. Dry AMD is the most common form and occurs when tiny protein clumps called drusen build up and cause central vision loss. Wet AMD, which is more serious, involves abnormal blood vessels growing under the retina and causing bleeding and damage. Doctors use eye injections,

laser therapy and specific vitamins, known as AREDS 2, to help slow AMD progression.

Dry eye can occur anytime but is most likely in people over 50 who are producing fewer tears. If your eyes are red or constantly irritated, your tears may not be properly lubricat

ing the eye. “Up to 60 percent of patients that we see in the clinic may have dry eye,” says Melina Morkin, M.D., a cataract specialist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Treatments include lubricating eye drops, over-thecounter medications or plug insertions in the tear ducts to help keep tears in the eyes longer.

People with diabetes need to be extra vigilant about eye appointments. They may experience diabetic retinopathy, which occurs when high blood sugar levels damage retinal blood vessels. This can manifest as blurry vision, difficulty seeing at night and blank or dark areas in your visual field. Medications to control blood sugar and pressure can halt vision loss. And surgery may help control the progression of the disease.

60+

Cataracts may start to develop in your 50s and cause problems in your 60s. “The natural lens we’re born with becomes cloudy with age and time,” Morkin says. This results in cataracts, which manifest as blurry vision, a fading of colors and nighttime glare. According to Morkin, almost 100 percent of the population will have cataracts after the age of 60. These are surgically treated by removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a clear artificial one. “It’s the most common surgery ophthalmologists perform and 99 percent of the surgeries are successful,” Morkin says.