Common Causes Of Vision Loss In The Elderly
As people age, one of the first noticeable changes they may deal with is vision loss. Those who are elderly are most likely to suffer some form of vision loss. To properly treat vision loss, a diagnosis must first be made to determine the cause of vision loss. These are some of the most common causes of vision loss in the elderly.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
This is an eye disorder that usually occurs to people over time as they get older, and it causes damage to the center vision, the sharp vision, or both. There are actually two different types of age-related macular degeneration. One is known as wet AMD, and it occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow behind the macula of the eye and begin to leak fluid behind the eye. This affects the vision by making straight lines look wavy and making it difficult to focus clearly on details of what you are looking at. The other type of AMD is called dry AMD. In this condition, the macula of the eye becomes very thin over time and causes the vision to become very blurry.
Cataracts
Having cataracts on the eyes is the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. When cataracts occur, a thin layer of film grows over the pupil and iris of the eye and causes the vision to be very cloudy. Cataracts can occur at any age but are most commonly found in people who are older. Cataracts can occur in just one or both eyes at the same time. Fortunately, this condition can normally be corrected by having the cataracts surgically removed from the eyes, one eye at a time.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disorder that is caused by having diabetes. When diabetes is not kept under control, damage to the blood vessels of the retina and the tissues in the back of the eye occurs. This often happens in several stages which can cause mild to severe vision loss depending on the stage the person is in. In most cases, a person has diabetic retinopathy in both eyes at the same time.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is another eye disorder that often occurs in diabetics. This disorder causes damage to the optic nerve of the eye when the normal fluid pressure behind the eye rises too high. The types of glaucoma are known as open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma usually happens slowly over time and is not evident until a substantial amount of vision is lost. Closed-angle glaucoma is often diagnosed early because it is very painful to the eye even in the early stages.
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