A clear-sighted future for baby boomers
by Sharon BrownBy now many boomers have gotten their first reading glasses and have struggled to adapt to needing more light to read. It was often shocking for many over 45 years of age to suddenly develop vision problems after years of seeing well, and they may have wondered if the reading glasses were the first sign of a more serious problem that would require medical attention.
Thankfully, the need for reading glasses does not mean a person has an eye disease. Over the years, the lens inside the eye, which helps focus images, becomes less flexible. Reading glasses add some power back and allow a person to see up close. Needing reading glasses does not mean the eyes are weak or lazy. It just means the lens is not able to change focus like it used to.
For those people who do wear glasses and their glasses no longer correct their vision, a visit to the eye doctor is needed. After age 50, many serious eye problems can develop, and conditions like glaucoma and cataracts become more common. Early detection and treatment will prevent a permanent loss of vision from either of these problems.
With the advancement of ultrasound technology, glaucoma can be detected in earlier stages of the disease. Glaucoma is caused by pressure inside the eye, which can lead to a very slow loss of peripheral vision. There are no symptoms for the most common types of glaucoma, and the loss of vision is so subtle that it can go unnoticed for years. Regular eye exams are essential to be sure a person is not developing the condition.
New glaucoma drops work better at controlling glaucoma and often do not need to be instilled as often as the drops baby boomers’ parents used. If a person has complicated glaucoma, there are new treatments that are more effective than older procedures, and there are constant advances in the instruments and devices used in the treatment of glaucoma. With regular eye exams, early detection and improved treatment, a loss of vision from glaucoma is much less likely than in the past.
Cataracts are also more common as a person gets older. The lens that made focusing difficult at age 40 continues to lose flexibility, and also develops a tint or haze. When the natural lens in the eye is no longer crystal clear, it is called a cataract.
As with glaucoma treatment, there have been tremendous advances in cataract treatments. The cataract can be removed in an ambulatory surgery center with local anesthesia. Vision recovers quickly, because the surgery is done with a gentle ultrasound device that removes the cataract without causing excessive inflammation. Once the surgeon removes the cataract, the natural focus of the eye is restored with an implanted lens.
There are exciting advances in implanted lens technology right now. Among these advances are multifocal lenses. In some patients, multifocal lenses allow them to focus both near and at a distance, leaving them glasses-free after surgery.
As boomers approach age 60 and beyond, the risk of developing macular degeneration increases. Macular degeneration can cause a rapid loss of central vision, making reading, driving and recognizing faces difficult. Left untreated, macular degeneration can cause a complete loss of central vision and legal blindness from the growth of blood vessels, which can break and leak inside the eye.
Advances in early diagnosis with sophisticated ultrasound and treatment with new drug therapies has been highly effective. As with glaucoma, early diagnosis can help prevent a permanent loss of vision.
The new drugs currently available are placed inside the eye and stop the growth of new blood vessels. Once the blood vessel growth is stopped by the drug, the eye can heal itself and vision is stabilized and in some cases improves. There are now FDA studies under way to develop the drugs in an eye drop form, making the treatment safer.
In the meantime, it is important that baby boomers minimize the risk of developing macular degeneration by eating a balanced diet consisting of fish once a week (for omega fatty acids) and high in vegetables (especially broccoli, kale and other leafy green veggies). And smoking has been found to significantly increase the risk of developing macular degeneration, so it is important to stop smoking now.
It is a very exciting time for ophthalmology. On the horizon, we can see better treatments for glaucoma, a virtual elimination of glasses after cataract surgery, and perhaps a cure for macular degeneration. It is a great time to be a baby boomer.
Sharon Brown is director of Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston-Cape Cod. She can be reached at smbrown@eyeboston.com.
Published in Cape Business November/December 2007
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