An unwelcome gift of aging when many turn 50 is the need for reading glasses.
This age-related loss of near vision, which occurs when the muscles of our eyes lose their focusing ability, can impact those who have never previously had issues with their eyes.
It can put a kink in the normal ease you might have once had doing everyday things, such as being able to read the ingredients on cans, the numbers on produce stickers at self check-out or taking in a good novel or the news on a smartphone.
Most head to the nearest pharmacy or any of the dollar stores to get multiple pairs of non-prescription readers to place anywhere and everywhere they might come in handy, such as one pair for the kitchen counter, another on the bedside table and one for the car.
“Between 45 and 50 pretty much everyone reaches a point where they need to have reading glasses,” said Dr. Lana Heckman, who practices at Premier Optical in Target Optical, Wyomissing, Berks County. “They had good vision all their lives and then suddenly they can’t read.”
This is a time when many head to see an optometrist, which is why Heckman is used to seeing many patients in this age bracket.
“Often it’s the first time they have had their vision checked in a very long time,” she said.
Nancy Niggel, 59, found her vision loss started in her 40s.
“When I was taking care of my kids, it began to be hard to look at things close up, like looking for ticks,” said Niggel who lives in Limerick Township, Montgomery County and works in Chester Springs, Chester County, as the executive director of the Chester Spring Library.
Niggel had to start wearing readers on top of her contact lenses that she has worn since she was in ninth grade. She is now equipped with many pairs of readers.
“You just have to have them constantly somewhere handy,” she said. “You have to have one pair in every room.”
Now that she’s older, Niggel, who keeps up her eye health by seeing an optometrist once a year at a Walmart Vision Center, assesses her day in advance to figure out the best plan for her vision support.
“If I know I’m going to be doing crafts today or story time and I need to really be focused, then I’ll wear my glasses since I have the progressive bifocals,” Niggel said. “I used to feel my contacts were better, but now I prefer my glasses when I know I’ll be doing closeup activities all day,”
If you are encountering vision issues due to age for the first time, Heckman said it’s ideal to get examined by an eye doctor for various reasons despite the common urge for many to gravitate toward the quick fix of drug store readers.
“I find people grab the wrong strength,” she said. “Also, the quality isn’t always the greatest, and it can lead to headaches because they aren’t right for you.”
Other issues might involve a person needing a different prescription in each eye, or they might have astigmatism that has to be taken into consideration, in addition to other potential considerations.
“You need different strengths for a computer versus reading fine print,” she said.
Heckman said that people are coming in later than in previous years due to technology helping them with their near vision.
“They are increasing the text size on their phone or Kindles or taking a picture of text and blowing it up,” she said. “I find this has been in recent years since everyone has a smartphone.”
Once you do your first visit to the optometrist or ophthalmologist, Heckman suggests a frequency for return visits based on age and history.
“If age 50, they should go every other year unless they notice a change,” she said. “If 60 and older, they should come in every one to two years regardless of whether or not they have vision issues.”
A baseline eye exam and eye disease screening can help rule out eye diseases common in adults age 40 and older, which provides a greater chance for early treatment and preservation of vision.
Not all changes in vision are related to age alone. Heckman shared some issues that you should look out for that would be in need of immediate attention.
“Pain in the eye, floaters, chronic irritation, dry eyes, flashes of light,” she said. “All of those could be indicative of an underlying disease such as retinal problems, cataracts or glaucoma.
“Glaucoma is one of the main reasons you should have your eyes checked because it is symptomless, but once detected it can be treated. If it’s not treated it can lead to vision loss or blindness.”
Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that does cause symptoms and can also lead to blindness if it goes untreated..
“This is a loss of central vision common in the more elderly, 65 and up,” she said. “This is why it’s good to come in to check the retina for macular degeneration, retinal holes, tears and detachment.”
FYI
Fore more information about age-related vision loss and eye diseases visit:
The American Academy of Optometry: www.aaopt.org
The American Academy of Ophthalmology: www.aao.org
