8

“Diabetes is one example of a disease that can be

diagnosed by an eye exam before a patient has other symptoms,” according to Dr. Shad Saunders, of Colo-rado West Ophthalmology, in Montrose.

Saunders was asked how often people should get their eyes examined, even if they’re symptom-free.

“Our recommendations are based on age, as well as specifi c eye conditions that patients have. For those patients over 65 years of age, our recommendation is that they have a yearly eye exam, even if they have no problems,” he said.

“There are many dis-eases that can be caught, or found, that are asymptom-atic in their early stages. Diseases such as glaucoma. Other conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy, need to be monitored with yearly eye exams. Cataracts are often pretty prevalent as well, and we can monitor any vision changes that way. So there are several reasons to get their eyes looked it, even if they have no complaints.”

Speaking of cataracts, the older you get, the more likely they are.

“A cataract is a harden-ing and clouding of the natural lens inside the eye,” Saunders explained. “When we’re born, the lens is clear and soft, but as we age, it gradually becomes hard and cloudy. So, with increasing age, we see ad-vancement of the cataracts. The most common age for cataract surgery is the late 60s to early 70s.”

It’s an outpatient surgery, usually completed in half an hour or less, with a relatively short recovery time. The opera-tion is performed on an estimated 1.35 million Amer-icans per year.

Cataract symp-toms include increased sen-sitivity to glare, especially when you’re driving at night. You may also experience more diffi culty reading small print. Cataracts can even affect the way in which you perceive colors, according to the doctor.

“Sometimes, patients will notice a decrease in color vision — colors aren’t as vibrant as they used to be.”

Other common eye dis-eases include glaucoma and

macular degeneration. “Macular degeneration

is a problem that we see, and treat, quite a bit; with our aging society we have more and more patients with that,” Saunders said. “It’s largely genetic, related to age, and screening eye

exams can catch that early, as well.” The dis-ease affects the center of your visual fi eld.

“Macular degeneration can present with distortion of the central vision, spots in the central vision, or areas of de-creased clarity

of the central vi-sion.” It’s a painless disease that affl icts an estimated 10 million Americans, according to the National Eye Institute. It attacks the macula, the part of the eye that enables you to see fi ne detail.

As for glaucoma, it can be a very sneaky, and there-fore dangerous, problem.

“Glaucoma is an asymp-tomatic condition,” Saun-ders explained. “Largely, patients don’t have symp-toms with glaucoma,” until the disease is well-advanced. Like macular degeneration, it can cause signifi cant vision loss, even blindness. The NEI reports that “Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that affect an estimated 2.2 million Americans. Glaucoma occurs when the normal fl uid pressure inside the eye slowly rises, which can damage the optic nerve and decrease vision. African Americans over age 40, everyone over age 60, but especially Mexican Ameri-cans, and people who have a family history of glauco-ma are at a higher risk for this eye disease.”

Diabetes can blind you by attacking your retinas, according to the NEI.

“Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in American adults and the most common diabetic eye disease, affecting an estimated 4.1 million adults over the age of 40 in the

United States. It is caused by changes in the blood ves-sels of the light-sensitive retina tissue in the back of the eye.”

Saunders said there are several things you can do to keep your eyes healthy.

“Preventative measures include staying away from UV light, especially at our altitude here. Wearing a good pair of sunglasses is important.

“Other things include having a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, and being a generally healthy individual. Patients with diabetes, and patients who use tobacco, develop cata-racts at a younger age, and other eye conditions or problems; we try to counsel our patients on the effects of tobacco on eye health — anything from dry eye from tobacco irritants in the air from smoking, to the damage it does to the blood vessels in the back of the eye.”

As Benjamin Franklin wrote, “An ounce of preven-tion is worth a pound of cure.” l

Eye health by the numbers

14 million Approximately how many

Americans 12 and older have vision of 20/50 or worse.

11 millionAmericans who could im-

prove their vision to 20/40 or better with refractive correc-

tion.

11 Percent of Americans 20 and older with diabetes had some

form of visual impairment

3.4 million Americans 40 and older

are either blind or visually impaired.

1.6 million Americans 50 and older have age related macular degen-

eration

5.3 million People 18 years and older have diabetic retinopathy.

20.5 million

People have cataract among Americans 40 and older

2.2 million People have glaucoma

among Americans 40 and older

50

Percent of the estimated 61 million adults in the United States classifi ed as being at high risk for serious vision

loss, visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months

Information from Centers for Disease Control statistics

“There are many diseases that can be caught, or found, that are asymptomatic in their early stages. Diseases such as glaucoma. Other conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy, need to be monitored with yearly eye exams. Cataracts are often pretty prevalent as well, and we can monitor any vision chances that way. So there are several reasons to get their eyes looked it, even if they have no complaints,”

Dr. Shad Saunders, of Colorado West Ophthalmology

Maintaining eye health needs to start with early check-ups.

Ways to protect your eyes include staying away from UV light, a healthy diet and wearing a good pair of sunglasses.

Dr. Shad Saunders