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Stay Ahead of Age-related Eye Health Issues

Oct 21, 2024 | 1:00 AM

When your vision is good and your eyes feel fine, it might seem like there’s no reason to see an eye doctor. For people 65 and over, that’s not the case.

“This is a big misconception,” stated optometrist Dr. Mark Langer. He said a lot of the major eye conditions that can cause significant vision loss later in life don’t present with any pain or loss of sight.

There are no pain receptors in the retina. “For a lot of these ocular diseases, there’s going to be no initial symptoms and no initial vision changes,” explained Dr. Langer. Because there is no pain involved with retinal conditions like macular degeneration and glaucoma at first, the only way to identify them properly is to have routine eye exams with your optometrist.

Dr. Langer is with IRIS Optometrists and Opticians and said there have been many times he’s seen someone with a debilitating eye problem and wished it’d been caught 10 years earlier. Many people put off their eye exams because they feel like their vision isn’t changing and have no concerns.

“In most of these conditions the earlier detection is critical, and the earlier we detect it, we can really slow down the progression of that condition,” he said.

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The importance of these routine exams is clear, but how often is “routine”? Dr. Langer explained why it’s recommended that seniors see their optometrist more often.

“At the age of 65 you enter a higher risk bracket for numerous eye conditions where early detection is key, so standard of care for anyone over 65 or with pre-existing conditions would be yearly if not every six months.”

For BC residents over 65, BC Health takes care of part of the cost of these exams. “MSP covers a portion of the eye exam every time we see you, if there’s either pre-existing conditions, if we’re diagnosing eye conditions, or if you’re over 65.”

Taking action to slow age-related eye problems begins with knowing there’s an issue long before it begins to affect your vision or comfort. Early detection is key.

IRIS is in the Village Green Shopping Centre. For questions or to book an appointment, you can call (250) 542-2239, or visit IRIS.ca to book online.