The Aging eyes of America

What is the future for American eyes?

Age related eye diseases are the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness in the US. Within the next 20 years, the number of Americans with age-related eye disease is expected to double.

These diseases are: macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy.

Cataract currently affects nearly 20.5 million Americans age 65 and older.

Over 2 million Americans have glaucoma with a further 2 million people not realising that they have it!

1.5 million Americans over age 60 have advanced macular degeneration.

Diabetic retinopathy affects more than 5.3 million Americans aged 18 +.

Age-related visual impairment is second only to arthritis/rheumatism as a cause of disability. For those aged 70 + vision loss ranks third after arthritis and heart disease for impaired daily functioning.

It is estimated that by 2030 approximately 68 million Americans will be over the age of 65 and many of these will suffer from low vision or blindness.

These figures are frightening but not as frightening as seeing a loved one having to face the associated problems caused by vision impairment or blindness.

Vision impairment reduces the overall quality of life when compared to those with ‘normal’ vision. Independence can be lost, feelings of isolation and frustration are increased which can often lead to depression. The risk of injury from tripping or falling will grow and basic recreational activities like reading, driving, using the internet or watching TV can be lost.

Unfortunately, vision deterioration or loss is accepted as yet another inevitable side affect of the aging process. Surely this sad inevitability can be addressed? Alas there is little choice once the horse has bolted. Attitudes will surely need to change because often medical assistance is reactive rather than proactive. Disease prevention is not part of a physician’s job nor was it part of their training even though we all know that prevention is better than cure. The prevention against age related diseases is in the hands of the individual not in the hands of the medical establishment.

The loss or severe deterioration of vision has catastrophic effects on the individual’s independence and quality of life. The magnitude of this problem cannot be understated.

After the diagnosis of an eye disease, traditional approaches will lead to costly medical or surgical treatments over a considerable amount of time. Success of a treatment will be defined by gains of lines of vision on a high contrast visual acuity chart in controlled clinic-office settings. Success is not measured on the restoration of independence or the quality of life for the aged individual. For elderly, visually impaired Americans, post diagnosis usually means many trips to the physician for frequent intraocular injections along with the ongoing daily administration of medications and the use of a vision aid. In fact, the patient becomes dependent on physicians, social workers, families and friends to help them. Slowly but surely, elderly patients with vision impairment progressively lose independence.

For the non-scientific community, access to information about vision research is usually difficult as this information tends to remain within highly defined disciplinary boundaries. Full text peer-reviewed scientific publications on vision research findings largely remain amongst scientists and clinicians because of restricted access. Funding to stimulate research for maintaining or restoring the independence of older Americans with vision impairment, will be limited unless scientific information is freely accessible to policy makers, businesses and the interested public.

A change needs to happen but it may be a long time coming. The scientific community is slow to act on change and extremely cautious to try breakthrough ideas. If a patient is losing their sight, the medical professional will do everything that their current knowledge allows them to do. They will try to cure the medical problem but that’s as far as it goes. The patient has to accept the situation and live with the costly consequences. It is the patient who needs support to live with the disability on a day to day basis and it is not the doctor’s place to give that support post appointment. Living with this disability can have a devastating effect on the person’s independence, dignity and pride and puts a strain on resources both financially and from the network of helpers around the patient. Aged individuals with any disability need a lot of care and attention and many are not fortunate enough to have relatives or friends in close proximity to provide adequate care.

Perhaps we should take prevention against age related diseases more seriously and maybe all of this heartache can be avoided.

For a brighter, independent future with the quality of life you and/or your loved ones deserve why not start using Can-C eye drops today and every day thereafter?

Preventing potentially disastrous aging eye diseases could cost you as little as 57 cents a day for both eyes. Each box of Can-C contains 2 vials and each vial contains approximately 70 drops, that’s 5 weeks at 1 drop in both eyes daily.

Visual impairment link to dementia

A recent study conducted by the University of Michigan Health System has found that elderly people with untreated visual disorders are significantly more likely to develop dementia and in particular, Alzheimer’s disease. Using data supplied by Medicare the study shows that those with poor vision, who visited an ophthalmologist for an examination were 64% less likely to develop dementia.

The study demonstrated the importance for elderly individuals with visual problems to seek medical attention. Treatments that were helpful in lowering the risk of dementia were surgery to correct cataracts and treatments for glaucoma, retinal disorders and other eye-related problems.

Physical activities such as walking and mentally stimulating activities such as socializing or reading have been found to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Of course nearly all of these require adequate vision. Sadly, many elderly Americans do not have adequate health coverage for vision exams and Medicare does not cover preventive vision screenings. As we all know, mainstream medical practice does not recognise prevention. Unfortunately, the elderly usually receive vision treatment only after a problem is severe enough to warrant a visit to the doctor and this is usually only once the problem is in an advanced stage. Most people do not realize that many eye problems are impossible to detect until the damage is done. Few conditions have warning signs.

Poor vision and blindness are among the top 10 disabilities among adults and can result in a greater tendency to experience other health conditions or even premature death. Mortality rates for Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise, which highlights the need to delay the onset of dementia.

The study concluded that only 10% of Medicare beneficiaries who developed dementia had excellent vision at the beginning of the study, while 30% of those who maintained normal cognition had excellent vision at the onset of the study.

In the US, 1 in 5 of those who are over 50 report experiencing a visual impairment. Approximately 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and this figure has doubled since 1980, so at the current rate there could be 13 million sufferers by 2050.