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Are you holding the newspaper farther away from your eyes than you used to? Join the crowd -- age can bring changes that affect your eyesight. Some changes are more serious than others, but no matter what the problem, there are things you can do to protect your vision. The key is to have regular eye exams so you can find problems early.
Some eye problems do not threaten your eyesight. Others are more serious diseases and can lead to blindness.
The following common eye complaints can be treated easily. Sometimes they can be signs of more serious problems.
The following eye problems can lead to vision loss and blindness. Often they have few or no symptoms. Having regular eye exams is the best way to protect yourself. If your eye care professional finds a problem early there are things you can do to keep your eyesight.
Low vision affects some people as they age. Low vision means you cannot fix your eyesight with glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery. It can get in the way of your normal daily routine. You may have low vision if you:
If you have any of these problems, ask your eye care professional to test you for low vision. There are special tools and aids to help people with low vision read, write, and manage daily living tasks. Lighting can be changed to suit your needs. You also can try large-print reading materials, magnifying aids, closed-circuit televisions, audio tapes, electronic reading machines, and computers that use large print and speech.
Other simple changes also may help:
National Eye Institute (NEI) National Institutes of Health2020 Vision Place Bethesda, MD 20892-3655 301-496-5248 www.nei.nih.gov
For more information about health and aging, contact:
National Institute on Aging Information CenterP.O. Box 8057 Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057 800-222-2225 (toll-free)800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free)www.nia.nih.gov
To order publications (in English or Spanish) or sign up for regular email alerts, visit www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation.
Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov (www.nihseniorhealth.gov), a senior-friendly website from the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine. This website has health information for older adults. There are also special features that make it simple to use. For example, you can click on a button to have the text read out loud or to make the type larger.
National Institute on AgingU. S. Department of Health and Human ServicesNational Institutes of HealthOctober 2005Reprinted March 2007
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