40's and 50's

It’s helpful to know how the eyes work, to understand how the eye’s parts function together to bring clear images to your brain—and how these parts change over time.  Notice that just about everyone in your age group wears some kind of vision correction, like glasses or contact lenses.  Here are some reasons why:

The Retina Becomes Less Light Sensitive

As you age, your retina becomes less light sensitive, so you need more light to see as well. Brighter lights in your work area or next to your reading chair will help you bring printed words into clearer focus, but eventually, you will need vision correction; bifocal glasses or multi-focal contact lenses to read.

The Eye’s Lens Become Less Elastic

Printed words are not as clear as before, in part, because your eye’s lens become less elastic with time. This makes it tougher for your eyes to focus with the same agility you experienced in younger years. Reading glasses or bifocal or multi-focal contact lenses will help you see more clearly, and a vision accessory (magnifying glass) will bring the smallest print into focus, like the words on maps or numbers in crossword puzzles.

Eye’s Lens May Become Cloudy

Your eye’s lens may start to become cloudy, making it harder to see colors with the same vibrancy you once enjoyed. You may notice additional glare from headlights at night, or sun hitting slick pavement during the day. Polarized sunglasses will help you in daylight by filtering out the glare, but you may find it more difficult to drive at night.  Contact lenses that correct for spherical aberration may help with this condition.

Eyes May Feel Drier

Your eyes may feel dry because tear glands have lost some ability to produce moisture, an essential element in keeping your eyes properly lubricated. Artificial tear eye drops that work like real tears can alleviate the discomfort of dry eye.  If your job involves using a computer for hours at a time, you may be increasing your eyes’ dryness through a condition called computer vision syndrome. Making some small changes in your work habits can provide some relief for this problem.  This includes:  

• Keeping your computer screen within 20"-24" of your eyes

• Keeping the top of your computer screen slightly below eye level

• Minimizing the distance between your computer screen and any documents you need to reference while working

• Using drops, such as Bausch & Lomb Advanced Eye Relief™ Dry Eye Environmental Lubricant Eye Drops, to soothe irritated, dry eyes

• Adjusting the light to minimize glare on the screen

• Taking a break every 15 minutes to focus on a distant object

• Blink frequently

Seeing Bright Pinpoints of Light or Floating Black Dots

Are you seeing occasional bright pinpoints of light, or floating black dots that seem to last a long time? These come into your field of vision because your vitreous, the part of the eye that connects to the retina, begins to shrink as you reach your forties. The floaters and flashers are a nuisance, but you can learn to ignore them without much effort. If you see a sudden, startling increase in the number of dots and flashes, however, see your eye care professional.