Last month, I was visiting my grandparents in Kolkata, and for the first time in so many years, my grandfather asked me to read him the morning papers. For someone who’s been very religious with his morning newspaper, it was sad for me to see him rely on someone else reading it out to him. Why? Because his eyes had become too weak.
You see, my grandfather is a healthy man, and his eyes giving way like this got me thinking, and I decided to find out if age and eyes are connected. Sure enough, it turned out that age, indeed, was the cause of his weak eyesight!
The ageing process brings about changes that have a direct bearing on the eyesight. Not only do the eyes suffer directly, the increasing fragility, and susceptibility to other ailments, of the body are detriment to the eyes as well. Some of the more common signs of age-related eye problems that I found are:
Floaters: These are small particles that float through your line of vision, and can be early signs of retinal detachment. One is, therefore, best advised to visit a doctor.
Excess Tears: No, not just because the elderly are more emotional! This is due to over-sensitivity to light, wind, or changes in temperature.
Eyelid Irritations: Redness and swollen eyelids, itching, tearing, and crusting of eyelashes.
Aside from these, I found that the loss of clear sight, which is what prevented my grandfather from reading his papers, was due to old eyes not having the power to focus – a condition medically referred to as Presbyopia.
Of course, I took my grandfather to an ophthalmologist, and and we got him prescription reading glasses, which have since allowed him to read his newspaper. But the sad truth remains that age and eyes are inextricably linked, and unfortunately, the health of the latter deteriorates with the gain of the former. So, when are you having an eye check-up of the elders of your family?
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