HEALTH & WELLNESS S P E C I A L S E C T I O N
include blurred vision, impaired color vision, floaters, and/or
dark areas in your vision. Symptoms may occur if there is too
much sugar in your blood, which can cause a blockage in the
blood vessels that lead to the retina. Proper management of
diabetes is the best way to prevent vision loss.
• Glaucoma: The second leading cause of blindness, glaucoma
is a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve. The
risk of developing glaucoma increases with age and if parents
or siblings have the disease. During an eye exam, glaucoma can
be detected by measuring eye pressure, inspecting the drainage
angle of the eye, evaluating the health of the optic nerve and
testing the visual field of each eye. Depending on the type and
severity of the disease, glaucoma can be treated through eye
drops, medication or surgery.
• Cataracts: A cataract affects vision by clouding the lens of the
eye. Chances of cataracts increase greatly with age, with more
than half of all Americans either having a cataract or having
had cataract surgery by the age of 80. People in their 40s and
50s can have cataracts, but they are typically small and do not
affect vision. Cataracts are detected by blurred vision, faded
colors, glare from headlights or lamps, poor night vision,
double vision, or frequent prescription changes in eyeglasses
or contact lenses. Early detection can improve cataracts
through new eyeglasses, anti-glare sunglasses or brighter
lighting. Surgery can also be done to remove the cloudy lens
and replace it with an artificial lens.
• Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): One of the
common but lesser known eye conditions is AMD. A leading
cause of vision loss among people 50 years of age and older,
AMD affects the macula, the millions of light-sensing cells
that provide your eye with sharp, central vision. Age is a major
risk factor for developing AMD, with most cases occurring
after the age of 60. Genetics, race, and smoking can also
affect risk for AMD. A comprehensive eye exam can detect
it through dilation and testing. Your eye care professional
will look for yellow deposits beneath the retina to determine
whether you have AMD. Intermediate and late AMD can be
treated with daily intake of vitamins and minerals that can
slow the progression of the disease. Therapy and surgery can
also be considered for types of advanced neovascular AMD,
which typically results in severe vision loss, to stop further
progression.
Hearing Loss and Prevention
It is common for hearing loss to occur as you age. According to
the Mayo Clinic, about 25 percent of people in the United States
between the ages of 55 and 64 have some degree of hearing loss,
increasing to one in two people by age 65 and older. Chronic
exposure to loud noises and aging are the two main causes of
hearing loss, resulting in the perception of muffled speech from
others, difficulty understanding words, frequent requests for
others to repeat themselves, loud volume on the television or
radio, and avoidance of social settings.
Hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear,
infection in the ear, or ruptured eardrum. Damage to the inner
ear can happen with age, or constant exposure to loud noises
over an extended period of time. These cause wear on the nerve
cells in the cochlea that send sound to the brain. When they are
damaged, signals aren’t transmitted as effectively, causing loss of
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