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Ageing Eyes and Falls
It is normal for our eyes to change as we get older. Normal changes include losing the ability to focus on things that are close up (presbyopia), finding that it takes longer to adapt to changing lighting conditions and finding that we need more light to see things.
As we get older we are more likely to develop eye disease. The most common eye diseases in older people are cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and glacoma.
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is an inflammation of your eyelids. It can make eyelids red and eyelashes crusty and make your eyes feel irritated or itchy.
It can also lead to burning, soreness or stinging in your eyes. In severe cases, your lashes may fall out, and you can develop small ulcers or styes as well. You may find your eyelids become puffy. The symptoms tend to be worse in the morning and when you wake up you may find your lids are stuck together.
Blepharitis is a chronic (long term) condition. This means that once you have had it, it can come back even after it has cleared up. It normally affects both eyes. You can usually treat it by keeping your eyelids clean. You may need to do this for several months.
Children's Eye Health
Most children have excellent sight and do not need to wear glasses.
Some children may have vision screening done at school (between the ages of four and five). However, the earlier any problems are picked up, the better the outcome. If there are problems and they are not picked up at an early age, the child may have permanently reduced vision in one or both eyes.
Your child does not have to be able to read or talk to have a sight test.
Also view our section below on Myopia (short-sightedness) Control.
Cataracts
Cataracts are formed when the clear lens inside your eye becomes cloudy or misty. This is a gradual process that usually happens as we get older. It does not hurt.
The early stages of cataract do not necessarily affect your sight.
The only proven treatment ofr a cataract is surgery. If the cataract gets to a stage where it affects your sight, your optometrist will refer you to a hospital to have this done. The surgery is carried out under a local anesthetic and has a very high success rate.
Dry Eye
Dry eye is a common condition that may be caused because your eyes do not produce enough tears, or because the tears that yo have evaporate too quickly or do not spread evenly across the front of your eye. The symptoms are usually in both eyes.
Dry eye can make your eye feel scratchy or irritated. In severe cases it may temporarily make your vision blurry. It can be uncomfortable, but rarely causes serious eye damage.
Floaters and Flashes
Floaters look like small dark spots or strands that appear to float in front of your eyes. Floaters are very common and are normally harmless. They are more common if you are short sighted or as you get older.
Some people also notice they see flashes of light. These can be due to movement of the gel inside the eye.
Very occasionally, flashes or an increase in floaters can be a sign of a retinal detachment, which needs treating as soon as possible. This is more common as you get older or in people who are short sighted or have had eye surgery.
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration (MD) covers a number of conditions which affect the macula. The conditions affect your ability to do certain tasks such as reading and watching television, but do not affect your ability to walk around as your side vision is not affected.
One of the most common symptoms of MD is noticing that straight lines appear wavy or that there are patches missing from your vision. You may not notice this if it happens in one eye as your other eye will compensate, so it is important to regularly check your vision in each eye separately. You can do this by looking with each eye separately at the straight lines on a door frame of Venetian blind. If you notice the lines are distorted or there are missing patches you should see your optometrist straight away.
Myopia Control
Myopia, casually called “Short sight”, is a condition that, unknown to many, increases sight threatening conditions such as retinal detachments and diseases like glaucoma and myopic macular degeneration. Treat these seriously. The higher the Myopia, the higher the risk of diseases.
Myopia leads to the eye growing longer, making the retina more likely to degenerate. If we think of the eye like a camera, the retina is the film, capturing what we see. If the retina becomes damaged this can lead to sight loss that cannot be corrected with spectacles or surgery. In the worst case it can lead to partial sight or blindness.
The good news is that the amount of Myopia can now be reduced in children. The chart below shows how EARLY CONTROL should help your child see better over their lifetime, reducing their risk of eye disease later on in life.
Contact us if you would like advice about any of these or to book an appointment
McKenna Opticians is a local and independently owned opticians.
Coleraine Rd, Maghera, BT46 5BN