Lenses For Seniors

What To Look For In Glasses When You’re Over 60

As you age, your eyes age with you. Even if you’ve been a glasses-wearer throughout your adulthood, adult glasses need to work for your eyes, and aging often means that the glasses you wore at age 30 may not quite work for you at 60.

There are also a number of different eye conditions and diseases in the elderly that people gradually develop as they age, such as increased light sensitivity and cataracts. While it is not always possible to prevent these symptoms of aging in our eyes, it is prudent to be aware of the symptoms so you can select the type of lenses that best suit your needs.
 

  • Symptoms of aging eyes

Symptoms Of Aging Eye Problems

Most people start to have difficulty reading without glasses once they hit their forties, requiring simple adult reading glasses. However, you may find as you grow older that your ability to read weakens, or you start to have difficulty seeing far distances at the same time.

You may have also noticed that other symptoms start to develop, such as sensitivity to light, difficulty seeing and completing tasks in low light, and blurry vision in one or both eyes. While at first you may just disregard some of these symptoms as inconveniences, they may actually be rooted in a reason: eye conditions in the elderly and aging.

  • Lenses for seniors UV protection

Glasses for UV Protection And Light Sensitivity

As we age, we may experience light sensitivity or photophobia, which can make daily life a struggle. Bright lights can cause a lot of discomfort even when inside your own house.

However, there is something we can utilise to prevent them from deteriorating too quickly. Anti-reflection and UV protection coatings (such as Crizal) on your lenses protect your eyes from UV rays and glare, allowing you to see more clearly through different light levels, while keeping your eyes protected from excessive damage.

Managing Presbyopia

As you age, you may also feel like your vision is becoming blurred in one or both eyes, or perhaps reduced in another way, such as seeing a “halo” effect or eye floaters. The most common cause of all eye conditions in the elderly is presbyopia, the common loss of near and far focus that occurs as we age into our forties, but needs extra attention over the age of 60. Even if presbyopia is corrected with prescription glasses in our 40s, our vision can often deteriorate or blur as we reach our 60s, requiring new lenses to help adjust our sight.

Varilux is one of the best solutions to help improve your sight range and allow you to see sharply across distances, while removing the blurriness that may be caused by presbyopia. Coupled with Crizal coatings to reduce light sensitivity, they allow for a smooth transition from observing near to far distances, eliminating that feeling of being off balance or unable to focus. Even better, some variations of the lenses can give you extended vision, so you can focus on spots around you quickly and efficiently.

Besides presbyopia, some vision problems can be caused by other issues such as:

  • Corneal disease is one issue that affects eyes as they age, which can result in a reduction in vision and perhaps that halo effect.
  • If you are seeing eye floaters--little spots in your vision--this may be a direct result of an aging condition called vitreous detachment.

What You Can Do

We always recommend speaking to your eye care practitioner to discuss your eye conditions, symptoms, and the best treatment. However, it is helpful to know the different options available to you, and there are plenty of lenses that can suit your needs, whether you are experiencing light sensitivity, blurred vision or any other symptom.

Is your vision affected by your age?

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