Low VisionTopics

Senior Low Vision Overview

Over one million Americans aged 40 and over are currently blind and an additional 2.4 million are visually impaired.
The leading causes of vision impairment (low vision) and blindness in the U.S. are diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and glaucoma.
-- DIABETIC RETINOPATHY is a common complication of diabetes. Retinal blood vessels can break down, leak, or become blocked, affecting and impairing vision over time. Nearly half of all people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic retinopathy during their lifetime, and risk increases with age and duration of diabetes. People with diabetes are encouraged to seek annual dilated eye exams. Currently, laser surgery and a procedure called a vitrectomy are highly effective in treating diabetic retinopathy. Research into pharmaceutical treatment options is continuing.
-- AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION is a condition that primarily affects the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. There are two forms of AMD -- dry AMD and wet AMD. Because AMD often damages central vision, it is the most common cause of legal blindness and vision impairment in older Americans (AMD rarely affects those under the age of 60). While there is no generally accepted treatment for dry AMD, laser therapies to destroy leaking blood vessels can help reduce the risk of advancing vision loss in many cases of wet AMD. Research sponsored by the National Eye Institute has recently shown that a combination of zinc, vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene may also reduce the risk of advanced AMD by 25 percent.
-- CATARACT is a clouding of the eye's naturally clear lens. Most cataracts appear with advancing age. Scientists are unsure what causes cataract. The most important factor is increasing age, but there are additional factors, including smoking, diabetes, and excessive exposure to sunlight. Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world, and affects nearly 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older. By age 80, more than half of all Americans develop cataract. Cataract is sometimes considered a conquered disease because surgical treatment that can eliminate vision loss due to the disease is widely available. However, cataract still accounts for a significant amount of vision impairment in the U.S., particularly among people age 65 and over who may have difficulty accessing appropriate eye care.
-- GLAUCOMA is a disease that causes gradual damage to the optic nerve that carries visual information from the eye to the brain. The loss of vision is not experienced until a significant amount of nerve damage has occurred. For this reason, as many as half of all people with glaucoma are unaware of their disease. About 2.2 million Americans age 40 and older have been diagnosed with glaucoma, and another two million do not know they have it. Most cases of glaucoma can be controlled and vision loss slowed or halted by timely diagnosis and treatment. However, any vision lost to glaucoma cannot be restored.
Those affected by low vision often become depressed, are prone to falls and resultant injuries, and many are socially isolated. There are several things that can be done to assist those with low vision.

Low Vision Tips (1)

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Cataract Awareness Points (2)

• Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgical procedure in the United States, with more than 1.6 million procedures performed each year.
  
• Cataract surgery is usually covered by medical insurance, including Medicare.
  
• Cataract surgery is usually done as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia. In this procedure, the Eye M.D. makes a tiny incision through which he or she removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a permanent artificial lens.
  
• Lasers are not currently used to remove cataracts. But they are sometimes used after cataract surgery to remove a film that can grow on the lens implant.

• There are no medications or exercises that will prevent the formation or progression of cataracts or make a cataract disappear.
  
• Nutritional or vitamin supplements have been shown to be beneficial in populations with nutritional deficits, but due to the inconsistent results reported in clinical trials, recommendations cannot be made at this time.
  
• Although it is very safe and effective, cataract surgery is surgery and you need to carefully decide if it is right for you. If the cataract does not interfere with your life, you may decide surgery is not warranted.
  
• Talk to your Eye M.D. if cataracts are interfering with your lifestyle.
  

(2) American Academy of Ophthalmology, 7/2008 http://www.aao.org/aao/