(Editor’s note: The folowing excerpt is submitted from Dr. Mitchell Gossman of Eye Associates of Central Minnesota).

One may have noticed that when one’s physicians diagnose problems, they often blame it on aging. It is true that many conditions become more common with each birthday, and the eyes are no exception. This is a brief summary of the most common conditions, and what one can do to decrease the risk to enjoying a lifetime of good vision.

Cataracts

Cataracts are in a way not really a “disease” in the sense that everyone gets them so it’s rather “normal”. It’s a progressive clouding of the lens of one’s eye which sits right behind the pupil and functions to focus light. When the blurry vision, and some cases glare and other symptoms, progress to the point that it results in problems, one may decide to have cataract surgery. 

“I estimate that 80% of people eventually need surgery,” said Dr. Gossman. 

Because surgery has risks, because it’s one’s life and one’s body, because only one knows when one needs surgery, and because not everyone needs surgery, surgery is not medically necessary until one says so. 

“I would estimate that eight out of 10 people eventually need surgery, and the two out of 10 who do not only avoid having surgery because of passing away or dementia, so in a sense we want to need surgery eventually,” Said Dr. Gossman.

Glaucoma

With time, the pressure in the eye may rise to the point that it becomes a threat to one’s vision, and this can actually be blinding. When it starts, it is not noticeable to one, and by the time it’s advanced to the point that one notices something wrong, it is far advanced. The elevated pressure damages the optic nerve, and it’s best caught early. Pressures tend to increase with age, so it’s more common with seniors. In fact, 10% of people are eventually diagnosed with glaucoma.

Macular Degeneration

This is unfortunately a common retina condition that can cause damage to the center of one’s vision which serves to provide fine detailed vision that’s necessary to read. It’s almost never blinding, but the effects on reading, work, driving, hobbies, and all activities of life, can be adversely affected. This is not a rare condition, and if one asks one’s senior citizen friends and family, one will be surprised how many have it and don’t necessarily talk about it. There have in the past two decades been great strides in treating some forms of the disease.

We can’t stop aging, so can you do about this?

There are two ways to prevent these issues from happening. 

“One way, which I do not recommend, is to not become a senior citizen,” Dr. Gossman jokingly says. “That leaves the most important things you can do, namely have periodic eye exams even if you are having no eye problems, if you do notice something wrong to not ignore it and get it checked out, and then comply with the recommended treatments.” 

At Eye Associates of Central Minnesota, Dr. Mitchell Gossman and Dr. Melanie Thares have extensive experience diagnosing and treatment of all eye disease, including screening for these conditions when one feels one is having no problems but, in fact one does. It’s a good feeling to find out that one is in good health, or if not, that it’s at least been caught at an early stage. Call 320-774-3789 to make an appointment or learn more or email; info@eaofcm.com.