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As the economic crisis continues, some seniors may skip their annual eye exam. But for the older population, it's critically important to keep tabs on the silent stealers of sight - cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

 

By detecting and treating eye disease early through annual, comprehensive dilated exams, seniors can do so much to preserve their sight.

 

 

Around half of Australians aged between over 65 to 74 have cataracts. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that interferes with vision by diffusing light as it passes through the eye. While some people have cataracts at birth or develop them early in life, the majority of cataract diagnoses occur in patients who are in their 60s or 70s. Read more >

Glaucoma

 

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve. Each Optic nerve is made up of a million fibres originating from the retina. In glaucoma, some of these nerves become damaged. This damage will initially cause blind spots in peripheral or side vision. If left untreated further nerve damage will occur and cause shrinkage of the field of vision, leading to tunnel vision, and eventually blindness. Fortunately blindness rarely occurs if glaucoma is treated early. Read more >

 

 

Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in Australia. It affects the central vision and is primarily age related, most frequently affecting people over the age of 50. One in seven people over the age of 50 are affected by the disease and the incidence increases with age. Read more >