Experience the Best Geriatric Eye Care

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With aging comes an increased need for comprehensive eye exams and for high-level, advanced treatment of many common ocular diseases. These exams are recommended annually past the age of 65, even if there are no visual complaints or reported symptoms. Many common eye diseases progress very slowly and don’t generate symptoms until it is too late to prevent a degree of vision loss. 

Physical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which rise in frequency as people age, are strongly associated with eye health problems. A total geriatric eye exam will inspect for the signs or effects of these risk factors.  Fortunately, many visual conditions in seniors are treatable, and our optometric experts are now being specially trained to evaluate geriatric eyesight. 

Routine geriatric eye examinations are the best preventive medicine, however there may be significant symptoms that appear in between eye doctor exams, and these should not be ignored!

If you experience any of the following signs, it’s advised to schedule a visit to your eye doctor:

I’m seeing floaters across my vision…

Noticing tiny shapes that seem to drift across your field of vision may be meaningless, or it may indicate a retinal detachment.

I think I am having vision loss…

This could be due to macular degeneration or a severe migraine, or it could point to various other eye conditions. It could also mean that a stronger eyeglass prescription is needed.

My eyes are tearing a lot…

Excess tears could be the result of many culprits, including allergies, an irritating substance in the eye, corneal abrasion or infection.

I am having trouble with my eyesight…

Any change in eyesight, such as trouble focusing, double vision, blurry or cloudy sight, seeing halos around lights, poor night vision, sensitivity to light, seeing spots or flashes of light, viewing wavy lines instead of straight and trouble identifying colors, is a warning sign to call an eye doctor.

My eyes always seem to twitch…

This may be a sign of a muscle problem or other health condition.

If you notice any of the following signs in an elderly person, it’s recommended to book an appointment. These include:

• Excessive blinking or squinting
• Loss of coordination, such as tripping or bumping into things all of the time
• A change in the appearance of his eyes: this could be described as crossed eyes, a change in the color of his irises, redness or swelling, bulging eyes or a bump on his eyelid.
• Trouble reading signs or recognizing people
• Wearing clothing that is mismatched or stained
• Complaints about how his eyes feel: examples include discharge, itching and burning, pain, eye fatigue or trouble with closing his eyelid.
• Bringing objects and text close to his eyes in order to view them.

Collaboration is Necessary for Top Geriatric Care

When providing optometric care for seniors, collaboration between all medical providers is critical. Many elderly patients take a variety of medicines, and there’s often a complicated medical picture. Communication and the full sharing of information is the best way to ensure that the patient receives the most appropriate, individualized eye care.