Eyes and aging - anisometropia 3D vision, binocular vision and increased fall risk

A new study published in the journal, Optometry & Vision Science, has confirmed what many eye doctors with elderly patients already know: changes in the eyes as we age can degrade our ability to see depth (stereopsis) and in three dimensions (3D vision). That can contribute to blurry vision, eye strain and eye fatigue, and an increased risk of falls. Falls in the elderly are troubling because they can be the cause of brain injuries, broken bones or worse.

The new study looked at the incidence of a condition called anisometropia in elderly patients. Anisometropia is a condition in which the two eyes have unequal refractive power. That means that the focusing ability of the two eyes is unequal. Each eye is in a different state of myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). The condition is characterized by blurry vision, double visoin, eye strain, eye fatigue, loss of depth perception. When anisometropia happens in children and infants, it can impair the development of normal binocular vision, which can lead to many learning and other problems.

Anisometropia is common in elderly people and it grows exponentially with age. The study found that significant anisometropia is at least 10 times more common in those older than 75 years than it is in children.  This is an alarming statistic and must be taken seriously by eye doctors.  At our Vancouver optometry clinic, we see large number of elderly patients because of our low vision practice and so we are always on the look-out for anisometropia.

The study's authors pointed out that the prevalence of anisometropia in US children is between 2 and 4% whereas data for those near 80 years old shows that 32% have 1.00 D or more anisometropia.

Related article:

When seniors loose depth perception and need to see a developmental optometrist
Thursday, June 28, 2012

Source:

Longitudinal Increase in Anisometropia in Older Adults

Haegerstrom-Portnoy, Gunilla; Schneck, Marilyn E.; Lott, Lori A
Optometry & Vision Science:
January 2014 - Volume 91 - Issue 1 - p 60-67

Skin cancer around the eyes

Optometrists are always mindful of the possible development of skin cancer in the skin surrounding the eyes.

In fact, the eyelid region is one of the most common sites for nonmelanoma skin cancers. Skin cancers of the eyelid, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma, account for five to 10 percent of all skin cancers.  The best way to prevent this type is skin cancer is to reduce your exposure to UV radiation which comes with sunlight.

The best way to do that is to wear sunglasses and eye glasses with advanced and more effective UV technology built into the lenses.  With traditional lenses, UV radiation is blocked when it hits the front of the lens but you get 50% of your UV exposure from radiation that reflects into your eye from the back of the lens.  New lens technology can prevent the latter and give you vastly superior protection. Ask for lenses that have an ESPF rating.

To learn more about skin cancer around the eyes, read the following studies:

• Cook BE Jr, Bartley GB. Treatment options and future prospects for the management of eyelid malignancies: an evidence-based update.Ophthalmology 2001 Nov; 108(11):2088-98.

• Abraham J, Jabaley M, Hoopes JE. Basal cell carcinoma of the medial canthal region. Am J Surg1973; Oct; 126(4):492-5.

Related articles:

The myth of "100% UV Protection" eyeglass lenses

May 19, 2012

Parents take better care of their own eyes than the eyes of their children

Sep 26, 2012

May Is UV Awareness Month: Be Sun-wise With Your  Eyes

May 01, 2012

Parents take better care of themselves than their kids 

May 24, 2012

The most fashionable way to prevent disease and eye cancer

May 25, 2012

Sunglasses buying tips 

Jun 01, 2012

New surgery turns brown eyes blue permanently - what about the cancer risk?

Nov 14, 2011

April is women's eye health and safety month - See For Life

Apr 11, 2012

Kids' Sunglasses Warning - See For Life

Jun 01, 2011

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Why do parents take better care of their own eyes than the eyes of their children?

I went to the Puyallup, Washington state fair last week.  It was a hot, sunny day and the fair was jam packed with kids and their parents.  Out of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of kids I saw that day, my kids where the only ones in sunglasses.  But at least half the parents I saw were in sunglasses.

Why do parents take better care of their own eyes than the eyes of their children?

Kids are not being protected from  UV radiation

My own observations at the state fair are confirmed by a report that was issued by The Vision Council in May 2012, that shows that while 73% of adults do wear sunglasses, only 58% of them make their children wear sunglasses.

UV exposure over time can cause eye disease and permanent vision loss

The report suggests that too many people still do not understand the serious damage that UV exposure can have on your eyes. Even fewer realize that it is cumulative exposure over time – which happens on both sunny and cloudy days – that leads to vision threatening diseases. One such disease, macular degeneration, leads to permanent vision loss and their is no cure..

The solution is to wear sunglasses and regular eye glasses with proper UV protection. Kids need this more than adults because the lens of a child’s eye is not as good as blocking UV rays as the lens of an adult eye.  Other diseases that you can protect against by wearing sunglasses are cataracts and skin cancer around the eye

Wearing sunglasses should be seen as a serious preventative health measure. Here is what macular degeneration can do to your vision:





UV damage also causes cataracts. Here is what cataracts can do to your vision:

Skin cancer around the eyes

Optometrists are always mindful of the possible development of skin cancer in the skin surrounding the eyes.

In fact, the eyelid region is one of the most common sites for nonmelanoma skin cancers. Skin cancers of the eyelid, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma, account for five to 10 percent of all skin cancers.  The best way to prevent this type is skin cancer is to reduce your exposure to UV radiation which comes with sunlight. The best way to do that is to wear sunglasses and eye glasses with advanced and more effective UV technology built into the lenses.

To learn more about skin cancer around the eyes, read the following studies:

• Cook BE Jr, Bartley GB. Treatment options and future prospects for the management of eyelid malignancies: an evidence-based update.Ophthalmology 2001 Nov; 108(11):2088-98.

• Abraham J, Jabaley M, Hoopes JE. Basal cell carcinoma of the medial canthal region. Am J Surg1973; Oct; 126(4):492-5.

The right UV lens technology makes the difference

It is also important to realize that not all lenses are the same at blocking UV rays. Even lenses that claim 100% UV protection actually don't deliver on that promise. However, newer lens technologies are tackling that problem and provide much better UV protection.  These lenses, such as Crizal Forte UV lenses come with an ESPF 25 rating which denotes far superior UV protection than ordinary lenses. To learn more read our previous post on new UV lens technologies.  Another important thing to realize is that you can get advanced UV protection in non-sun eyewear.

Sunglasses now or botox later

Sunglasses and eyewear with advanced UV protection also have cosmetic benefits. They prevent wrinkles from developing around the eyes.  That will save you thousands of dollars in botox later in life!

Image od boy in sunglasses courtesy of chrisroll / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eye nutrition basics

Here is some clear and concise information on nutrition and eye health from the
American Optometric Association (www.aoa.org):

• Lutein & Zeaxanthin

  Lutein and zeaxanthin are important nutrients found in green leafy vegetables, as well as other foods, such as eggs. Many studies have shown that lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

• Vitamin C

  Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. Scientific evidence suggests vitamin C lowers the risk of developing cataracts, and when taken in combination with other essential nutrients, can slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration and visual acuity loss.

• Vitamin E

  Vitamin E in its most biologically active form is a powerful antioxidant found in nuts, fortified cereals and sweet potatoes. It is thought to protect cells of the eyes from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals which break down healthy tissue.

• Essential Fatty Acids

  Fats are a necessary part of the human diet. They maintain the integrity of the nervous system, fuel cells and boost the immune system. Two omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be important for proper visual development and retinal function.

• Zinc

  Zinc is an essential trace mineral or ‘helper molecule.’ It plays a vital role in bringing vitamin A from the liver to the retina in order to produce melanin, a protective pigment in the eyes. Zinc is highly concentrated in the eye, mostly in the retina and choroid, the vascular tissue layer lying under the retina.

• Emerging Research

  In the last 20 years, eye health research has linked diet and nutrition with a decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Written in partnership with AOA members Stuart Richer, O.D., Ph.D., and Steven Newman, O.D.

To learn more about eye nutrition visit www.eyenutrition.ca.

Related articles:

Vitamin C lowers cataract risk

The miracle vitamin - vitamin D - gets more miraculous

Vegetarians and vegans have a lower risk of cataracts 

April is women's eye health and safety month - women must focus on eye nutrition

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Depressed? Anxious? Maybe your eyes are too dry. Dry eye syndrome linked to depression and anxiety.

A study published in the journal Current Eye Research examined anxiety and depression in patients with dry eye syndrome.  The authors of the study concluded that “anxiety and depression are correlated with Dry Eye Disease, demonstrating that [it] is an important public health
problem that merits increased attention and research.”


Vision Source Vancouver optometrists see the effects of dry eye syndrome on patients every day.  Sometimes it is an irritating thing in the background.  However, dry eye syndrome can get so bad that it can wreck your life by taking away the things you love to do and ruin your relationships with your loved ones.


Dry eyes may seem trivial but for chronic sufferers of dry eye syndrome, their dry eyes significantly decrease their quality of life.  Many of these people are not able to drive, work on the computer for very long or even watch TV with family because their eyes will not tolerate the activity for more than a few minutes. Dealing with the discomfort, burning, scratching, and pain of dry eye syndrome can make your life bad enough that you may become clinically depressed.


People who are older and who have had dry eye syndrome for longer are most at risk of depression and anxiety.  This suggests that the earlier you seek treatment the better it is for your mental health. 


For dry eye sufferers, the best advice is to go see your eye doctor as soon as possible because a wide variety of effective treatments are available for dry eye syndrome and one of them can probably improve your dry eye symptoms.  For most dry eye sufferers, it is possible to avoid the spiral of discomfort, pain, burning and eventual depression and anxiety that can come from dry eye syndrome. 


For some more information about dry eye syndrome read these posts:

• Caffeine improves dry eye syndrome
• Women make dry eye worse with makeup
• The basic facts about dry eye syndrome
• Dry eye can come from computer use (because you blink less)

In women, future dementia shows up in the eyes first - maybe early enough to do something about it

April is women's eye health and safety month.  That makes the results of a new study  reported in the March 14, 2012, online issue of Neurology timely because the results have important implications for women over age 65.


Retinopathy, a disease of the blood vessels in the retina (which as at the back of the eye) was found to be an important marker for the later development of dementia in women who are 65 and older. Even mild retinopathy in women in this age group could be a marker of cognitive decline and related vascular changes in the brain, according to the study.


Retinopathy is usually caused by Type II diabetes or hypertension.


The study's results suggest that retinopathy may be useful as a clinical tool if it can be shown to be an early marker related to neurologic outcomes. If retinopathy is detected early enough, there may be room for the patient to make lifestyle changes or participate in medical interventions that can slow the onset of cognitive decline.  As with many diseases, early diagnosis and treatment can make a big difference in quality of life.



It seems that brain health is in the eye of the beholder.  The study is an other example of why eye exams by an optometrist (which routinely include an examination of the blood vessels in the retina) are one of the best things you can do for your overall health.  Not only can they detect markers of future cognitive decline, eye exams can diagnose, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, cancer and other diseases that show up first int he eyes.  In fact, eye exams are often the first to detect chronic diseases.

While the study discussed above involves changes in the physiology of the eye as an early marker of cognitive decline, other studies have shown a connection between uncorrected visual impairments and cognitive decline.  The latter studies seem to indicate that older people who lack proper visual stimulation are more prone to cognitive diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia.  Increasingly, science is making the link between vision and eye health on the one hand and brain health on the other.  That's why it's important to see the optometrists regularly as we age.

What about a women's eyes is the biggest turn off for men?

The answer is tears. They contain chemicals that seriously dampen a man's desire according to a recent Israeli study that compared the reactions of men after sniffing saline solution and women's tears.  Men found women's photographs less attractive after sniffing tears when compared to saline. 

The scent of women's tears also had a physical effect on men.  There was less blood flow to areas of the brain related to sexual desire and the men showed low levels of testosterone.  There were also signs of the absence of sexual arousal such as a slow heart rate and a slow breathing rate.

Interestingly, women are commonly sufferers of chronic dry eye.  Is this evolution's way of suppressing "repulsive" tears to ensure successful mating?  Just a thought.

I'll be on the radio today - RJ 1200 at 2:00 p.m.

Tune in to RJ 1200 (1200 on the AM dial) today at 2:00 p.m. to hear me talk about the things that people do to put their eyes at risk.

You can also call in with questions.  If you want to listen live on the internet click here.