Mary Mack’s vision started getting fuzzy in her 40s.
Prescription eyeglasses corrected the problem and it wasn’t until 10 years ago that Mack, 81, developed another eye problem: macular degeneration, where disturbances in the eye’s retina can severely reduce vision.
“It’s OK for now,” said Mack, of Poughkeepsie. “I was told it was the type (of macular degeneration) that I didn’t have to be worried immediately that I would go blind.”
According to the Women’s Eye Health organization, blindness affects an estimated 37 million people, with 80 percent of individuals with vision-impairment in developing countries. Major risk factors for compromised eye health include age, gender and socioeconomic development.
Two-thirds of blind and visually impaired people are women. Of the 1 million legally blind people in the U.S., more than 700,000 are women. Moreover, of the 3.4 million people in America who are visually impaired, 2.3 million are women.
Mack’s eye doctor monitors her macular degeneration and checks for glaucoma, a genetic and potentially serious eye problem that Mack’s mother had. Mack isn’t overly worried.
“I am not particularly concerned about my eyes at any one time,” she said.
Chairwoman of Women’s Eye Health, Dong Feng Chen, a medical doctor with a doctorate in neurobiology, said while age, hormonal changes and economic/social standing factor in the high precedence of eye health issues in women, autoimmune diseases are another issue, since women are prone to them and many have an eye health component, such as glaucoma and dry eye. Other serious eye health conditions include cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
“There’s treatment by medical doctors, but it’s more important to prevent the disease before it happens,” Chen said. “I can’t emphasize this enough. I feel like, especially in the United States, patient education about eye disease hasn’t been done.”
Neena Haider, who has a doctorate in genetics and is co-director of the organization , said many women focus on caring for others at the risk of their own health, leaving them vulnerable to eye health issues.
“They’re not going to the doctor for a checkup,” Haider said of women, who often see that their families get proper eye care. “One of the main reasons why Women’s Eye Health was formed is there’s a huge percentage of females who are visually impaired.”
As with other health conditions, the earlier an eye problem is detected, the better chances are for a favorable outcome. Many eye conditions are reversible, so it’s important for women and others to get regular eye exams, once or twice a year after 40 years old, and every year after 50.
Also key is embracing a healthy lifestyle; avoiding eye contaminants, such as cleaning solvents and indoor/outdoor allergens; and wearing sunglasses when outdoors.
The Prevent Blindness organization, which has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month, developed a dedicated website for vision and eye health issues in women, www.SeeJaneSee.org
“More women than men have cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration, according to a recent study by Prevent Blindness,” Sarah Hecker, director of media relations, said by email, per the 2014 report, “The Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems.” “And, more women than men have dry eye syndrome. Those numbers will only continue to rise as the U.S. population ages.”
During pregnancy, some women experience vision issues, Hecker said, including refractive changes that can affect the strength of a woman’s eyeglasses or contact lens, puffy eyelids that can interfere with peripheral vision, migraine headaches that can cause a sensitivity to light, diabetes that can result in blurred vision, and pregnancy-induced hypertension that can cause blurred vision and seeing spots.
“Prevent Blindness recommends everyone … receive regular eye exams,” Hecker said. “At age 40, it is recommended that everyone get a baseline, dilated eye exam, so that doctors can monitor the eyes for any changes.”
She said it’s also important to maintain a healthy diet, not smoke, take supplements per a medical professional’s approval, consistently wear UV-blocking sunglasses with a brimmed hat when outdoors and learn of any family history of eye disease.
Brian Powell, an optometrist with Southern Dutchess Eyecare in Fishkill and president of the Hudson Valley Optometric Association, said many eye difficulties occur as a result of aging and because there are more older women than men, women are primary candidates for eye health issues.
“Cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy manifest more as people get older and women live longer,” said Powell, who also is a trustee for the New York State Optometric Association.
With that, Powell said women’s changing hormones and lifestyles can create eye problems, especially after menopause when dry eye in women increases, either from hormonal fluctuations or effects from supplements taken to reduce menopause’s off-putting symptoms.
Powell said the biggest areas of concern to sight are glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, along with problems associated with systemic conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s syndrome, all of which can cause dry eye, where inadequate tear production can cause eye discomfort or, in more severe cases, the breakdown of the cornea or cloudy vision.
On the plus side, medical and technological advancements in the field in the last 15 years have given rise to more effective drugs and earlier diagnosis of eye health problems, Powell said.
Karen Maserjian Shan is a freelance writer: mkshan@optonline.net
Vision problems
•Nearsightedness or myopia, where close objects are clearer than distant ones, happens when the cornea is too long and often is diagnosed in childhood. Farsightedness, when distant objects are clearer than close ones, result from a flattened cornea and is called presbyopia when it develops from result aging.
•Cataracts occur with age and result when fibers in the eye’s lens no longer line up properly, clouding vision. Excessive delay in cataract removal can hamper depth perception, clarity and night vision, plus obstruct other eye conditions and lead to a possible rupture, hindering the cataract’s removal.
•Glaucoma has a familial link and relates to a build-up of pressure in the eye, compromising cell health and causing reduced eyesight or loss of vision. Often the pressure isn’t felt, with an unnoticed loss of minor peripheral vision, earning glaucoma the tag, the silent thief of sight.
•Macular degeneration generally afflicts seniors and relates to malformations in the retina that cause a separation of its layers, significantly reducing vision. The condition can leave people unable to read or recognize faces, leading to feelings of disconnectedness and depression.
•Uncontrolled diabetes, a systemic condition, can cause blood vessels to leak fluid, resulting in dot hemorrhages in the eye. More serious is the possible build-up of fluid, which can blur vision.
•Uveitis relates to the swelling of the iris and can mimic bacterial conjunctivitis, but is from an inflammatory disorder, such as Lyme disease.
Source: Brian Powell, optometrist, Southern Dutchess Eyecare; president, Hudson Valley Optometric Association; trustee, New York State Optometric Association
For tips on keeping eyes healthy, visit the National Eye Institute, www.nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/health-pdfs/tipsforeyehealth.pdf
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Women"s eye health is serious business
