Take care of your sight
Money can buy you most things, but it can’t protect you against ill health. Even the rich and famous aren’t immune with Dame Judi Dench revealing that she suffers from the eye condition age-related macular degeneration (AMD). She now struggles to read scripts and needs someone to read them aloud to her, and commented that macular degeneration is something that comes with age. But, says the sight-loss charity RNIB, while the incidence of AMD is likely to increase over the next 10 years, it’s not an inevitable part of ageing and there’s a lot you can do to protect yourself.
With lifestyle changes and early detection, up to half of all sight loss could be prevented, says the RNIB. Currently around one in five people over the age of 75 live with sight loss and the figure increases as people get older.
Catching AMD early is key, says the RNIB as one type, known as ‘wet’ AMD, can be treated with drugs or, sometimes, with laser. Dry AMD is currently not treatable, although research has had initial success with stem cell treatment, so the future is more hopeful.
What are the symptoms?
Blurred vision: What you see appears blurry or cloudy, or straight lines appear wavy or fuzzy.
Sensitivity: Bright lights cause you mild discomfort or you see light where there is none. You may also have blank spots in your vision.
Recognition: You find it increasingly difficult to recognise faces or you struggle to read small print.
Get your vision checked every two years and your optician should pick up any AMD symptoms. If left untreated, AMD worsens to the point where a central blind spot will occur and normal activities such as driving, reading become impossible.
A healthy lifestyle can also reduce your chances of developing AMD. Low levels of antioxidants, found in fresh fruit and vegetables, have been shown to increase the risk too, so make sure your diet contains good quantities of both.
Smoking puts you at greater risk, as does exposing your eyes to sunlight (without protective sunglasses). However, research from the University College London showed that vitamin D could slow AMD in mice, so it’s a question of balancing exposure to sunlight without overdoing it. And if you don’t get much sun on your skin, it may be a good idea to add a vitamin supplement or vitamin-D-enriched foods to your diet (fatty fish, eggs and liver are good sources).