Your Eyesight after 40 Years

Hello, I am Dr. Anin Sethi, and today I will discuss about your eyesight after 40 years and the causes of vision loss after the age of 40. 

Press Myopia

The eye goes through various physiological changes after the age of 40. And these changes may cause vision loss. One of the significant causes is press myopia. This is because the eye loses its elasticity and cannot change its shape to focus on the objects closer to the eye. This is nearsightedness. 

Like the lens of a camera, the eye also changes the shape of its lens to focus on objects that are close and farther away. But with growing age, the eye is unable to focus correctly. This is because the lens, with increasing age, loses its ability to change its shape. People usually suffer from this at the age of 42 or more and in some cases from 37 onwards. 

This can be easily corrected by getting suitable glasses. Usually, the person starts noticing when the number is +1 or 0.75. In the start, they may experience a slight blurring of the nearer objects, headaches, and looking closely at things may strain the eyes. But fortunately, all these can be corrected, but getting proper spectacles. 

The power of the glasses starts from 0.75 and gradually over 10 -15 years it goes up to +3 or +o.25. So it is essential to get corrective glasses. 

Cataract or Motia Bind 

A cataract is another cause of vision loss. It is also called safed motia bind. Vision loss is the first symptom of a cataract. There are different types of cataracts. Some people have difficulty seeing in the sunlight and some in the dark. When the person has a cataract, his number for both near and far starts to increase. So if this happens, visit an eye specialist, and he will examine you and find out whether you have cataracts or not. 

Diabetes and Blood Pressure 

If you have diabetes or blood pressure, it may also affect your vision. These diseases affect the retina, which may result in vision loss. When diabetes causes the retina to swell and causes vision loss, it is called Diabetic Retinopathy. 

And if blood pressure is causing problems in the retina, it is called Hypertension Retinopathy. 

The uncontrolled sugar levels in the body may cause the retina to swell or sometimes bleed. So if you have diabetes or blood pressure, I suggest you consult an eye specialist and get your retina examined once every year. 

It is always better to get diagnosed when the disease is in its early stage. 

Glaucoma 

In glaucoma, the pressure inside the eye increases, which puts pressure on the optic nerves and damages them. Therefore, vision loss is not an early symptom. When the patient has glaucoma, the vision lasts till the very last end. But what happens is the vision starts to narrow, i.e., loss of peripheral vision. The patient may not notice this much at an earlier stage. 

If you are over 40, Whenever you go for an eye check-up, I would suggest you get your eye pressure checked as well. The person would subjectively not feel anything if the pressure is below 30. But if the pressure reaches 40, you may experience headaches, blurred vision, colored spots in bright light, and sometimes even vomiting. 

The standard limit of pressure is considered to be 18. If the pressure is between 18-30, then it may gradually cause harm to your eyes. But you may not feel the symptoms right away. 

I would advise getting your eye pressure checked if you are above 40 years of age. 

Bottom line: 

So these four are the leading causes of vision loss in people after the age of 40. 

• Press Myopia: Nearsightedness, which is an age-related change just like greying of hair, and wrinkles. 
• Cataracts: Most common and also known as Safed motia. 
• Diabetes or BP: As I mentioned before, diabetes and BP can adversely affect your retina.
• Glaucoma 

These are the four reasons for the loss of vision after the age of 40.