Did you know that doctors do not consider your eyes fully grown until you are in your twenties? Newborns typically have eyes that are 16.5 millimeters in diameter. Fully grown eyes have a diameter of 24 millimeters.
Your eyes may stop growing in your twenties, but this is only the beginning when it comes to vision changes. Visual health often begins to decline in adulthood. Not to mention your risk of eye-related problems increases when you hit middle age.
Luckily, you can sustain your eye health by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and cutting back on visual stress. To keep your vision in good shape though, you need to know what to expect from your eyesight as you age. Keep reading this guide to do just that!
The Eyes of Adulthood
Adults typically enjoy the best vision of their lives between the ages of 19 and the big 4-0. Those who experience vision change at this age often do so because of injury or eye stress.
Here are some tips to prevent these problems from worsening:
Reduce your consumption of alcohol and cigarettes
Eat a balanced, healthy diet
Exercise regularly
It’s important to get in touch with your eye doctor if you notice any vision loss or significant changes to further prevent future complications.
The Middle-Aged Eye
Age 40 is when you might really start to notice changes in your eyesight. That's because your vision will begin to break down at this point in your life simply due to the natural process of aging. Here are some of the most common changes that occur in your mid-40s and beyond:
Presbyopia: You may begin to find your ability to focus on close objects has declined because your eye has started to experience the effect of the hardening of the lens inside the eye
Glaucoma: Adults aged older than 40 are at a higher risk of glaucoma, and this risk increases when you hit 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90
Diabetic retinopathy: 40% of diabetics start to develop this condition after the age of 40
Pupil size reduction: As we age, our pupils start to get smaller, which results in us needing more light to see
Senior Vision Changes
Even the most youthful adults start to experience the signs of aging by 65. And aging eyes are no exception. You may need to start wearing reading glasses, develop cataracts, or you may need even more light to see at night. Additional eye changes that happen in our senior years include:
Our eyes start producing fewer tears
We start losing our peripheral vision
Our ability to see color declines
We begin seeing floating spots and even flashes of light
Have You Been Putting Off Your Eye Exam?
If you're under the age of 40, you're probably enjoying the best sight of your life. But make sure you take care of those peepers if you want to prevent some of the eye diseases and vision changes that affect sight in middle and late age.
Have you been skipping your annual or bi-annual eye exam? You might want to think twice if you're worried about aging eyes! Schedule an exam in Langley today!