How to take care of your eyes after forty

Already after the age of 35, our eyesight, regardless of previously diagnosed defects, begins to deteriorate. We have no control over this – it is a natural effect of aging of the body.

Presbyopia, or presbyopia

Just after the age of 40, we clearly begin to experience the symptoms of so-called “presbyopia. presbyopia or presbyopia. These include:

• The inability to read text up close – the smaller the letters, the greater the trouble (text message, footnote in a book, menu in a restaurant, text on a computer monitor),
• Headache and visual fatigue when looking up close,
• Problems with visual accommodation in the so-called. The gray hour (when dusk falls or just after it falls),
• Double vision (diplopia).

If we notice the symptoms mentioned above in ourselves, it is necessary to visit an ophthalmologist. They must not be put down to overworked eyes – uncorrected presbyopia will develop anyway, exposing us to a variety of problems resulting from visual impairment. These will include problems with reading (“too short an arm”), with getting around after dark, with driving. By underestimating presbyopia, not only do we expose ourselves to discomfort in daily life, but we may also endanger ourselves for our loved ones.

Early diagnosis of cataracts

It should become a habit for people over the age of forty to make regular follow-up visits to an ophthalmologist or optometrist. In addition to presbyopia, people at this age can also be diagnosed with an early form of cataract, which, if properly monitored and treated, is unlikely to lead to vision loss later on.

Degenerative cataracts in their mature form, also known as senile cataracts (opacification of the lens of the eye that occurs with age and is associated with aging and accompanying metabolic disorders) appear closer to the 50th birthday. It is therefore in one’s forties that it is time to implement a system of follow-up visits aimed at early intervention and treatment of cataracts.

Ergonomics of the workplace

Forty-year-olds should take great care with the ergonomics of their workstations. Depending on the specifics of their occupation – working at a computer, outdoors, in dusty or smoky rooms, etc. – it is necessary to optimally protect the eyes with appropriate glasses and moisturizing drops, and to take longer breaks that give the eyes respite.

People who lead sedentary lifestyles, such as those who do office work, have problems with high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels, are at risk of developing dry or exudative macular degeneration. While the former condition is not dangerous, the latter can even lead to blindness.

Balanced diet

One of the elements of taking care of eyesight should be a well-balanced diet, containing plenty of antioxidants, especially vitamin A, or beta-carotene, to prevent so-called “night blindness, ” or impaired vision after dark.

Vitamin C (among other things, it strengthens the blood vessels of the eyes), vitamin E (facilitates the absorption of beta-carotene), and lutein and zeaxanthin, which are carotenoids that prevent degenerative eye diseases, are also needed for the proper functioning of the organ of vision.