Blurred vision, age-related eye problems require regular check-ups

Blurred or altered vision is often neglected as age-related farsightedness.
However, such symptoms call for regular check-ups as they may be a sign of one of three major eye conditions.
Park Se-young has more.
Blurred vision and blind spots are often mistaken for age-related farsightedness.
However, these are symptoms of advanced macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration usually comes with age and affects one in four people over the age of 70.
Because there is currently no cure for it, macular degeneration is the number one cause of age-related blindness.
"Treatment doesn't end at once but requires injection therapy for three, five, ten years or even a lifetime."
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication from diabetes …and carries with it a serious risk of blindness.
It affects up to 80 percent of people who have had diabetes for 20 years or more.
Blood sugar management can help slow the onset and progression of the condition.
"If the terminal phase is considered stage five, stages one to three do not specifically require treatment. This means sugar management can slow or halt the progression."
Eye conditions like macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma are all fatal to the eye, …yet they lack observable symptoms in the early stages.
When things start to look different, the conditions have already progressed quite a bit.
Because lifelong treatments can only slow the progression of conditions, …regular eye exams are very important.
Fundoscopy examines the retina, optic nerve and retinal blood vessels for damage.
One should also check for illnesses linked to the three conditions that are major causes of blindness.
And because the three conditions appear to be related to blood pressure and diabetes, …adapting a healthy lifestyle to prevent metabolic syndromes can be helpful.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.