Our eyes are one organ that many of us use every day of our lives. As we age, though, these trusty companions age with us. Keeping a senior's eyes healthy is important, so finding ways to protect them and ensure they keep working right for as long as possible is crucial for a caregiver. As with many things, prevention is the best medicine, which means eye health exams. But how often should a senior have their eyes examined?
Here's the answer to how often seniors should get their eyes checked, plus six other tips for senior eye health you can help implement today.
Common Eye Problems for Seniors
After many years of adventuring around, it's fairly normal that a senior's eyes might start to have some issues. In many cases, this can be average degradation of eyesight. If that's the case, about the only thing that may be needed will be a stronger prescription.
This isn't the only eye problem that seniors deal with, though. Here are some of the common problems they might face:
- Glaucoma: Glaucoma is a condition caused by excess fluid buildup in the eye. It can cause deterioration of peripheral vision and even total blindness.
- Cataracts: Cataracts are blurry or hazy spots on the eye lens that result in minor to severe vision disruption.
- Dry Eye: If a person's tear ducts aren't producing tears well enough, their eyes can start to dry out and become irritated and scratchy.
- Age-Related Macular Degeneration: AMD results in lessened central vision and a poorer ability to see fine details and colors.
When to Have a Senior's Eye Health Examined
For most people, having a dilated eye exam every two to three years is sufficient. For seniors, though, this may need to be increased every year. Given that seniors tend to be more likely to develop eye problems, more frequent exams can help catch these issues before they progress to something worse. Overall, more testing is simply the best option.
Additionally, if a senior starts to feel pain in their eyes or experiences problems with their vision, contact your eye doctor immediately. If these problems occur without any other symptoms, there may be a problem with their eyes. However, if they're comorbid with other symptoms (headaches, chest pain, or anything else of that nature), call 911 and seek medical care immediately.
Tips to Take Care of Senior Eyes
There are many ways to help seniors take care of their eyes beyond the regular eye exam. Some of these can include:
- Eating a healthy diet high in vitamin A.
- Watching screens from a good distance away (two feet or more).
- Reading in places with good lighting.
- Sleeping at least eight hours each night.
- Wearing sunglasses in bright environments.
- Use eye drops when suffering from dryness.
Get Help From Senior Helpers St. Louis
Being a senior's primary caregiver is a big responsibility. That pressure and the duties that come with it can really wear you down if you take them all on by yourself. If you've ever needed help caring for a senior in your family or community, contact us, Senior Helpers of St. Louis. As the premier in-home caregiver service in the St. Louis area, our staff is dedicated to helping the elderly with everyday tasks, both big and small, in Ballwin, Fenton, Arnold, and beyond. Give us a call today.