Hello to everyone,
The World was hit hard this year by an unexpected pandemic that changed the way of living and affected all sectors of life drastically. But in all this we have and will continue to persevere so even as you strive to stay alive remember to adhere to the protocols in place and eat and live healthy.
Today i would like us to take a look at some conditions of the aged that affect the eye and our vision and how best we can protect ourselves and hopefully not panic when things happen like that.
Introduction
Aging is an inevitable process which all systems within our body is subjected to. Understanding some of these changes our bodies goes through whiles we age goes a long way to help us cope better with the changes and main a good psychology through the "hard times".
Just like all other systems the visual system undergoes changes with aging most of which eventually result in reduced near or distance vision such that aids may be required in addition change in lifestyle. Lets first take a look at the commonest condition of cataract then we would look at flashes and floaters.
Cataract
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) cataract remains the leading cause of blindness in the world source and statistics shows that one out of 6 americans over 40 have cataract. source.
I would describe cataract as the fogging of a clear transparent lens turning it from lucid to translucent. In this fogging situation however, it is not cause by water rather fibers. The lens is made up of fibers but its nature is such that it does not get turnovers like the other parts of our bodies that easily shed the old away and get a new one.
The lens keeps the old and continue to make new one so as we grow it accumulate and starts to affect its clarity. This is described as opacification in literature. So cataract formation is inevitable but can be delayed such that it does not have severe impact on vision and this can be done through healthy lifestyle and good eating habits. Some academic sources do suggest that vitamin C has inverse association with cataract formation so eat those fruits. Source
Conditions that may exacerbate the cataract formation process are diabetes, the excess sugar in the eye is coverted to sorbitol and galactitol which rapidly accelerates cataract formation. Hypertension may also affect the homeostasis of the eye, an increase in Intra ocular pressure may also have detrimental effect on your lens.
Disclaimer; cataract may also occur in trauma conditions involving the eye however it is mostly regard as a senile condition.
Treatment
Cataract is mostly treated via cataract extraction surgery where the opaque lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one known as Intra-Ocular Lens. A healthy lifestyle and good eating habits may prolong its maturation too.
Flashes and Floaters
A lot patients especially those 50 and above may report with seeing some flashes of light in their vision, some describe it as the lightning seen on a rainy day. Some patients also present with unknown objects floating around in their vision.
Now the senile cases of this conditions are nothing serious and most often very transient. It is more like a phase which happens due to some physiological changes in the system of the eye which is the liquefaction of the gel known as vitreous in the eye. The liquefaction results in the floaters and the pull on the retina results in the flashes you see. After a while it should stop.
But there is a downside to it should you decide not to consult your optometrist upon these symptoms. These symptoms may actually be a warning sign to an impending danger and that is a condition known as retina detachment which may be treated another time. If this condition is not catch early within 24 hours of occurring, patient is bound to loss the sight for good with not hope of returning.
So just to be on the safer side, if you are old and notice these symptoms do report to your optometrist as soon as possible to rule out more severe conditions however, if you are younger and notice these symptoms i would urge that you treat it as an emergency and report to your optometrist or ophthalmologist for immediate examination.
Conclusion
Understanding the changes your body goes through helps you a lot in coping physically and psychologically with it. I hope i have brought someone a bit closer to understanding more about visual health in the aged.
Thanks for reading and have a great day, Special thanks to my mentors and supporters @mcsamm, @tj4real, @armandosodano, @delilhavores, @gentleshaid, @agmoore. For further reading;