Recently, there has been a trend towards the “rejuvenation” of age-related eye diseases, which often occur in people over 40 years old. Some can pose a real threat to health, including complete vision loss. SM-Clinic eye surgeon Stanislav Popov told socialbites.ca this
“According to him, one of these diseases is age-related nearsightedness (presbyopia). This condition is associated with poor accommodation and the eyes’ ability to see near images clearly. “Presbyopia occurs due to the decrease in the elasticity of the lens and its hardening, and therefore it becomes more difficult for the intraocular muscles to focus on nearby objects with each passing year,” explained the expert.
As the doctor stated, age-related farsightedness can be easily corrected with glasses and multifocal soft contact lenses. Presbyopia can also be corrected with a radical method: surgery.
“Another disease worth mentioning is age-related retinal dystrophy (age-related macular degeneration). This disease occurs in people over the age of 40 and as it progresses, it can lead to complete vision loss. “The disease manifests itself as damage to the central areas of the retina, which is felt as a decrease in vision, impaired color perception, distortion of the image and the appearance of an opaque spot in the center of the gaze,” added Popov.
According to him, there are dry and wet retinal dystrophies and each of them has different treatment features. The dry form does not require surgical intervention and can be resolved with maintenance treatment with vitamins and medications. For the wet form of the disease, injections of a special drug are already used.
Cataract is a disease that most commonly affects people over the age of 60. As the ophthalmic surgeon says, the pathology is associated with clouding of the eye lens. The most common complaint is a “fog, curtain” appearance that cannot be eliminated and a gradual decrease in vision.
Patients with cataracts see surrounding objects as blurry and foggy, which causes them constant discomfort. Blurred vision at night and at dusk is also a common symptom.
“A modern and effective method to combat cataracts is to replace the cloudy lens with a transparent artificial lens (phacoemulsification). This is ultrasonic removal of the lens performed using modern ophthalmic surgical equipment. The procedure is safe for the patient’s health and minimally traumatic. Popov stated that it is not possible to delay cataract treatment.
According to him, the most insidious eye disease is glaucoma. The danger is that the disease goes unnoticed and does not manifest itself for a long time. The disease is associated with impaired outflow of intraocular fluid and increased intraocular pressure, which compresses the optic nerve.
“Diagnosing glaucoma at an early stage significantly reduces the risk of complete blindness. Treatment of the disease begins with the selection of drugs to be instilled into the eye every day. This is fundamentally important: you cannot skip instillation. In addition, it is necessary to be examined by an ophthalmologist every 3 months to monitor intraocular pressure. “In cases where the pressure cannot be maintained with drops, it is necessary to resort to surgery,” he emphasized.
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