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National Institute on Aging

AgePage

Aging and Your Eyes

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 for many problems, there are 

things you can do to protect your vision. The 

key is to have regular eye exams so you can 

spot problems early.

How Can You Protect Your 

Eyesight?

Have your eyes checked regularly 

by an eye care professional—either an 

ophthalmologist or optometrist. People 

over age 60 should have dilated eye 

exams yearly. During this exam, the eye 

care professional will put drops in your 

eyes to widen (dilate) your pupils so that 

he or she can look at the back of each 

eye. This is the only way to find some 

common eye diseases that have no early 

signs or symptoms. If you wear glasses or 

contact lenses, your prescription should be 

checked, too. See your doctor regularly to 

check for diseases like diabetes and high 

blood pressure. These diseases can cause 

eye problems if not controlled or treated. 

See an eye care professional right 

away if you:

■ Suddenly cannot see or everything

looks blurry

■ See flashes of light

■ Have eye pain

■ Experience double vision

■ Have redness or swelling of your eye

or eyelid

Common Eye Problems

The following common eye problems 

can be easily treated. But, sometimes 

they can be signs of more serious issues.

■ Presbyopia (prez-bee-OH-pee-uh) is

a slow loss of ability to see close objects

or small print. It is normal to have this

problem as you get older. People with

presbyopia often have headaches or

strained, tired eyes. Reading glasses

usually fix the problem.

■ Floaters are tiny specks or “cobwebs”

that seem to float across your vision.

You might see them in well-lit rooms or

outdoors on a bright day. Floaters can be a

normal part of aging. But, sometimes they

are a sign of a more serious eye problem

such as retinal detachment. If you see

many new floaters and/or flashes of light,

see your eye care professional right away.
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Tearing (or having too many tears) 

can come from being sensitive to light, 

wind, or temperature changes, or having 

a condition called dry eye. Wearing 

sunglasses may help. So might eye drops. 

Sometimes tearing is a sign of a more 

serious eye problem, like an infection 

or a blocked tear duct. Your eye care 

professional can treat these problems.

■ Eyelid problems can result from 

different diseases or conditions. Common 

eyelid problems include red and swollen 

eyelids, itching, tearing, and crusting of 

eyelashes during sleep. These problems 

may be caused by a condition called 

blepharitis (ble-fa-RI-tis) and treated with 

warm compresses and gentle eyelid scrubs.

7 Tips for Healthy Eyes

■ Protect your eyes from too much sunlight by wearing sunglasses that block ultraviolet (UV) 

radiation and a hat with a wide brim when you are outside.

■ Stop smoking.

■ Make smart food choices.

■ Be physically active and maintain a healthy weight.

■ Maintain normal blood pressure.

■ Control diabetes (if you have it).

■ If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focused on one thing, you can forget to blink.

Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet for 20 seconds to prevent eye strain.

■

Eye Diseases and Disorders

The following eye conditions can lead 

to vision loss and blindness. They may 

have few or no early symptoms. Regular 

eye exams are your best protection. If 

your eye care professional finds a problem 

early, often there are things you can do to 

keep your eyesight.

■ Cataracts are cloudy areas in the 

eye’s lens causing blurred or hazy 

vision. Some cataracts stay small and 

don’t change your eyesight a lot. Others 

become large and reduce vision. Cataract 

surgery can restore good vision. It is a 

safe and common treatment. If you have 

a cataract, your eye care professional will 

watch for changes over time to see if you 

would benefit from surgery.

■ Corneal diseases and conditions 

can cause redness, watery eyes, pain, 

problems with vision, or a halo effect 

of the vision (things appear to have an 

aura of light around them). Infection 

and injury are some of the things that 

can hurt the cornea. Treatment may 

be simple—for example, changing your 
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eyeglass prescription or using eye drops. 

In severe cases, surgery may be needed.

■ Dry eye happens when tear glands 

don’t work well. You may feel stinging or 

burning, a sandy feeling as if something 

is in the eye, or other discomfort. Dry 

eye is more common as people get older, 

especially for women. Your eye care 

professional may tell you to use a home 

humidifier or air cleaner, special eye 

drops (artificial tears), or ointments to 

treat dry eye.

■ Glaucoma often comes from too 

much fluid pressure inside the eye. If 

not treated, it can lead to vision loss and 

blindness. People with glaucoma often 

have no early symptoms or pain. You 

can protect yourself by having dilated 

eye exams yearly. Glaucoma can be 

treated with prescription eye drops, 

lasers, or surgery.

■ Retinal disorders are a leading cause 

of blindness in the United States. Retinal 

disorders that affect aging eyes include: 

▪ Age-related macular degeneration 

(AMD). AMD can harm the sharp, 

central vision needed to see objects 

clearly and to do common things like 

driving and reading. During a dilated 

eye exam, your eye care professional 

will look for signs of AMD. There 

are treatments for AMD. If you 

have AMD, ask if special dietary 

supplements could lower your chance 

of it getting worse.

▪ Diabetic retinopathy. This problem 

may occur if you have diabetes. 

Diabetic retinopathy develops slowly 

and often has no early warning 

signs. If you have diabetes, be sure 

to have a dilated eye exam at least 

once a year. Keeping your blood 

sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol 

under control can prevent diabetic 

retinopathy or slow its progress. Laser 

surgery can sometimes prevent it 

from getting worse.

▪ Retinal detachment. THIS IS A 

MEDICAL EMERGENCY. When the 

retina separates from the back of the 

eye, it’s called retinal detachment. If 

you see new floaters or light flashes, 

or if it seems like a curtain has been 

pulled over your eye, go to your eye 

care professional right away. With 

treatment, doctors often can prevent 

loss of vision.

What Is Low Vision?

Low vision means you cannot fix 

your eyesight with glasses, contact lenses, 

medicine, or surgery. Low vision affects 

some people as they age. You may have 

low vision if you:

■ Can’t see well enough to do everyday 

tasks like reading, cooking, or sewing
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■ Have difficulty recognizing the faces

of your friends or family

■ Have trouble reading street signs

■ Find that lights don’t seem as bright

If you have any of these problems, ask

your eye care professional to test you for 

low vision. Special tools can help people 

with low vision to read, write, and manage 

daily tasks. These tools include large-print 

reading materials, magnifying aids, closedcircuit televisions, audio tapes, electronic 

reading machines, and computers with 

large print and a talking function.

Other tips that may help:

■ Brighten the lighting in your room.

■ Write with bold, black felt-tip

markers.

■ Use paper with bold lines to help

you write in a straight line.

■ Put colored tape on the edge of your

steps to help you see them and prevent

you from falling.

■ Install dark-colored light switches

and electrical outlets that you can see

easily against light-colored walls.

■ Use motion lights that turn on when

you enter a room. These may help you

avoid accidents caused by poor lighting.

■ Use telephones, clocks, and watches

with large numbers; put large-print

labels on the microwave and stove.

Remember to ask your eye doctor if 

your vision is okay for safe driving.

For More Information About 

Eye Problems

National Eye Institute 

Information Office

1-301-496-5248

2020@nei.nih.gov (email)

www.nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/aging_eye

National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus

www.medlineplus.gov/eyediseases.html

For more information on health and 

aging, contact:

National Institute on Aging

Information Center

P.O. Box 8057

Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057

1-800-222-2225 (toll-free)

1-800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free)

niaic@nia.nih.gov (email)

www.nia.nih.gov

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NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®

January 2017