The eyes of the human body are a part of the body that age faster than some others. While the skin around them may wrinkle and begin to drop with time, the most important part of the eye is the eye itself. Every part of the body is used every day, but the eyes today are used more than others. In a world that is almost entirely digital, the eyes will experience more strain and aging than other parts of the body with time. You can go your whole life with a perfect leg, but your eyes will never be the same as they were the day you were born.
So it is common to wonder, why is my vision getting worse? Your vision is designed to get worse with time, but there are things you can do about it. Good eye health is about taking care of your eyes through lifestyle factors, and understanding when it is time to get help.
When you notice your eyesight getting worse, talk to an eye specialist about what can be going on. These things can be corrected and maintained. Learn more about why your vision is getting worse, and what to do about it right here.
Understanding Vision Changes
As you age, your eyes age with you. Eyes are the things we use to see every action in our days. While our legs can sit still for moments and hours on end, our eyes typically can not. As we age, we become more at risk of our vision declining. There are a number of conditions we may experience as our vision changes with time. If you are wondering, why is my vision getting worse, you may have one of these conditions.
- Presbyopia
- Myopia
- Astigmatism
Vision deterioration is a normal sign of aging. When our eyesight is getting worse, it could be due to a number of things. Sometimes it can be corrected, and sometimes it can not.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a condition where our eyes lose the ability to see things that are up close. This condition occurs when we are no longer able to look at things that are close. If you have ever seen someone take their glasses off to read their phones, that is likely presbyopia.
The device may need to be held far away in order to see properly. This condition is a natural sign of aging and may be a reason your vision is getting worse. Most people will begin to see this problem around the age of 40.
Myopia or Nearsightedness
Myopia is known as nearsightedness and is the opposite of presbyopia. With Myopia, you can see things close up but you can not see things far away. This condition makes objects that are far away appear more blurred than things that are close up. Approximately 30 percent of all Americans will suffer from myopia in their lifetimes.
Some experts will say that myopia is increasing in the population with the increased amount of screen time consumed in our daily lives. When our eyes are used and strained for several hours a day, we may become more at risk of myopia in time.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a disorder that is noted by blurred vision and eyestrain, and is very treatable. This condition occurs when the cornea of the eye, or the lens of the eye, is curved. In a healthy eye, the cornea is round. With astigmatism, the eye has an egg shape.
You may also experience chronic headaches if your eyes have an astigmatism. Night vision will also be difficult for you. Squinting is another symptom. Still, squinting is a condition that occurs with many eye conditions. If you experience some of these symptoms, talk to an eye specialist about what could be going on with your eyes.
The sooner you get any kind of vision deterioration going on, the sooner you should get it looked at by an eye care professional.
Common Causes of Worsening Vision
In addition to these conditions, there are many other common causes of eyesight getting worse. Factors related to aging that worsen the eyesight with time include cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and screen time that causes vision loss.
Cataracts are a condition where cloudy patches appear over the lens of the eye. This prevents light from getting into the back of the eye and results in blurred vision. These can often be corrected with a new eyeglass prescription. In many cases, surgery can help to treat cataracts as well.
Glaucoma occurs when the optic nerve is impacted by pressure around the eyes from the brain. If this is left untreated, you may experience permanent vision loss. It is estimated that glaucoma impacts as many as two to every 100 people over the age of 40. There are a number of treatment options for glaucoma, including surgery and corrective lenses.
Macular degeneration occurs when vision is not just worsened over time, but lost in time. This will begin to show after the age of 50. This does not typically manifest as a significant vision problem at first, but you may notice symptoms as you age. You will have a difficult time reading, watching TV, or even using a phone as you age. One report noted that as many as one in three people in the United Kingdom suffered from poorer eyesight during the pandemic as a result of increased levels of screen time.
Lifestyle factors such as screen time and diet also play a significant role in eyesight worsening over time and as you age. Additionally, factors such as smoking and not having a balanced diet will impact your vision when these habits are formed over the long-term. You want to be sure that your diet includes enough Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids if you can help it.
Make sure that you are getting enough sleep every night, and more so as you age. You also want to be sure that you maintain an active lifestyle and quit smoking if you can.
Protecting Your Eyesight
Maintaining good eye health is an important component of protecting your eyesight. This gets more important as you age. There are a number of things that you can do to ensure that you protect your eyesight as you age.
Blood sugar levels are important and should be maintained, particularly if you have diabetes. It is estimated that 90 percent of blindness that is diabetes-related can be prevented. Make sure that you keep your blood sugars normal, and your cholesterol down. You also want to maintain an active lifestyle so that your blood pressure can be reduced and not impact your vision.
Understanding your own family’s health history will also help you to protect your eyesight. If any member of your family has any of the eye conditions noted here, you may want to stay on top of your vision care. If you don’t know, talk to your family to ensure that you know the eye history in your genetic line. This will help you to maintain good vision care.
Wearing protective eyewear is also an important part of protecting your vision. If you are an athlete, make sure that you have the right eye gear on. If you are a heavy swimmer, wear goggles when you swim. Make a point to wear sunglasses in the sun so that your eyes can relax when you are out in the sun. You also want to be sure that you rest your eyes as often as you can. If you are on the computer for long periods of time, rest your eyes as often as you can.
Eye exercises and regular eye checkups are necessary when you are trying to protect your vision. Try to hold your finger away from your eyes for a few moments, and bring it back and forth in front of your eyes. Look in the distance and then do this again. This helps your eyes practice focusing.
Do the same thing with your thumb, and revert your focus from your thumb to an object far away. Do this about 10 times a day and get your eyes used to focusing on things both in front and far away.
These are just a few actionable tips that you can use to exercise your eyes and prevent your eyesight from worsening over time, or slow down the signs of vision deterioration.
When to Seek Professional Help
It can be difficult to determine when it is time to seek an eye professional’s advice. If your vision is worsening with time, that is an obvious symptom. But it is not always so easy to see.
If you have chronic eye fatigue or dry eyes, this can be a sign that your eyes are suffering. When your eyes are tired but nothing else is, you may have eye fatigue. When your vision is chronically blurred, you should see a doctor as well.
Chronic eye infections will also put your eyesight at risk. Be sure that you check with an eye doctor if this is happening to you.
Lifestyle Adjustments for Better Vision
Some of the lifestyle adjustments for better vision have already been mentioned here. Make sure you are eating a healthy diet and that you have healthy blood sugar levels. If you can quit smoking, the sooner the better. Quitting smoking will help every part of your body, including your vision.
A healthy weight is important for healthy eyes as well. Many studies have shown a direct link between obesity and vision loss. You are also at a greater risk of cataracts when you are overweight.
Improve the lighting in low-lit rooms in your home and office as well. When a room does not have enough light, you increase the risk of your vision getting worse with time and aging. Make sure the ergonomics of your furniture where you sit the most are appropriate so that you can see screens, humans, and life the way that you want without squinting or stretching.
Adopt these lifestyle adjustments as early as you can in life, and you will be able to prevent or even avoid your eyesight worsening as you age.
Take Control Of Your Vision
When you are worried about your eyesight getting worse, take control of your vision immediately. Seek some advice from an eye specialist, or a doctor if you worry about your vision worsening. In many cases, you can fix worsening eyesight. But you don’t want to get to the doctor when it is too late. Talk to an eye specialist today and make some lifestyle adjustments to begin improving your vision health today.
