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How to help your eyes age well

September 30, 2022 3 Comments

A minor scare about eye health this summer: my optician thought she’d spotted a micro-aneurysm in my right eye. I have eye scans using optomap wide-angle camera imaging every four years because decades of staring at small screens in my TV career, plus long hours on the computer to coach and write now, have not been kind to my eyes. I also have a family history of age-related macular degeneration plus a genetic predisposition to the condition. The micro-aneurysm, while not a problem in itself, had not been apparent when I was last scanned in 2018, so needed to be investigated. My optician’s notes read, ‘It is important to note that there is a recognised association between retinal vessel changes and subsequent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity’. Enough to make this Age Well-er quake in her boots.

ADVICE FROM A NEURO-OPTHALMOLOGIST

After a three-month wait I got an appointment at a Moorfields eye hospital outpost in South London. It was all fantastically efficient. I, and many others, were shunted in and out of various treatment rooms where drops were applied, tests were done and results given. The eye drops vastly expanded my irises, meaning everything was simultaneously overly-bright and hazily blurred. This rendered the whole experience mildly hallucinogenic. But I was rewarded with two minutes with a neuro-ophthalmologist who assured me there was no evidence of a micro-aneurysm. He thought my optician had most likely spotted a micro-haemorrhage which had subsequently healed up.

Good news, of course. But what can we do to look after our eyes? It’s not every day we get time with a neuro-opthalmologist, so I fired questions at him on your behalf. He advised:

  • Close your eyes for five minutes at the end of every hour of screen time. That’s a lot – I’ve been trying, and while it’s nice to have a break, it does feel like a long time!
  • Use hydrating eye drops four times a day as screen work leads to evaporation from the eye’s surface. I’ve bought preservative-free ones from Amazon. A.Vogel Eye Drops Extra are my favourite so far.
  • Don’t overthink it. A healthy diet and exercise make a huge difference to eye health, don’t get caught up in the minutiae.

EYE HEALTH AND DEMENTIA RISK

The importance of looking after eye health as we age can’t be overestimated: this summer a case was made to add vision impairment to the list of modifiable risk factors for dementia. It’s estimated that 1.8% of dementia cases can be linked to sight issues. That’s not a huge number but with 10 million new cases of dementia each year, and around 90% of vision impairment preventable or treatable, it’s a relatively easy fix. And with no effective drug for Alzheimer’s on the market, there’s more and more emphasis on modifiable risk factors (doctor-speak for ‘things we can do something about’).

Further evidence in the form of new research linking cataract surgery with reduced dementia risk. Cataracts have a direct effect on the brain, as they reduce visual stimulation and make the patient more isolated – both of which erode cognitive resilience. But after cataract surgery dementia risk returns to normal.

GOOD NUTRITION AND EYE HEALTH

A research review also published this summer looked at carotenoids (antioxidants which give vegetables their colour) and their impact on women’s eye and brain health. It found that high intake of the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin (from leafy greens and yellow vegetables like corn) is linked to lower risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

We’ve written before about links between good eye health and nutrition. Annabel posted back in 2015 on the topic – and shared a fabulous freekeh recipe to go with it; I shared more nutrition and lifestyle tips back in 2020. And Annabel would like me to remind you about the importance of ‘vista vision’ for eye health – she wrote about it here.

FREE INTERVIEW SERIES: UNSHAKEABLE RESILIENT WOMEN

I was thrilled when the wonderful Linda Legras invited me to be part of an interview series specifically for midlife women. The series was born out of her desire to help women in perimenopause, menopause and beyond to confidently take charge of their health and changing bodies. It all kicks off on October 10th.

Over 21 days, you’ll meet amazing women who are passionate experts in their fields and who share stories, expertise and resources to help women as they age. My interview – October 21st – is about brain health and ageing well (of course), but there are so many other fascinating topics from pelvic floor health to journaling.

It’s all completely free and you can register using this link. 

 

Susan

  • Conditions: Eyes
« WHY LIVER HELPS US AGE WELL
HOW TO TIPPLE IN SOBER OCTOBER »

Comments

  1. Diana says

    September 30, 2022 at 9:53 am

    Hi Susan,

    What about Vitamin A and eye health? Just wondering.

    Also, I wonder if you could do some research into “dry mouth” as this appears to be an ageing issue.

    Many thanks for all your great work.

    Diana

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      October 3, 2022 at 9:37 am

      Thanks for your comments Diana. Vitamin A is indeed very important for eye health but most of us get enough from a healthy diet – eating plenty of green leafy veg, plus orange and red vegetables like sweet potato, carrots, red pepper etc should give us enough.

      Good point re dry mouth – I’m just about to start researching it for my next book on post-menopausal health as it seems to be linked to low oestrogen levels. I’ll report back!

      Reply

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

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Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points to a time (for women at least) in their mid-60s when the chronic conditions of ageing, like diabetes, heart disease and dementia, are - statistically - more likely to kick in. 

And we know that our reproductive hormones do so much more than prepare us to have periods and babies, we have receptors for them throughout our bodies and brains. 

Oestrogen, in particular, helps keep bones strong, blood vessels flexible, brains firing and inflammation levels low. Essentially, it wraps us up in a cosy protective cloak to keep us safe and healthy while we're able to reproduce, but once the eggs have run out - we're on our own! 

Between the average age of menopause at 51, and that time in our 60s when the chronic conditions of ageing are more likely to kick in, we have a decade or so in which it’s vital to focus on our health.

And how to do that? It’s on the blog - link in bio

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #menopause #menopausehealth #postmenopause #postmenopausefitness #postmenopausal #oestrogen #hormonalhealth
If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic he If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic health you might want to thank your Mum today. Recent studies have found that women who move around during their reproductive years and during pregnancy and then breastfeed for a bit pass on a compound in their milk called 3SL which provides lifelong protection against poor metabolic health. The offspring of moving, breastfeeding Mums appear to have a lower lifetime risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic disease. Even gentle strolling during pregnancy and while nursing can produce this compound. So today we thank our Mums for that - as well as everything else.  Susan’s mum in the hat. Annabel’s mum in the pony tail. 

#mothersday #mothers #move #agewell #goodhealth #longevitylifestyle #longevity #walk
There’s been lots of good news for walkers recen There’s been lots of good news for walkers recently. A study published last month found that over-60s who walked between 6000 and 9000 steps a day cut their risk of heart disease (including strokes and heart attacks) by 40-50 percent, when compared to a more typical 2000 steps a day. In fact this study found that for every additional 1000 steps walked, the risk fell still further. 

How far are you walking to age well? Let us know in the comments and there’s more on the power of walking on the blog - link in bio

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #walking #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike #reversewalking #backwardswalking #walkingbackwards
A big hug from us to you to mark International Wom A big hug from us to you to mark International Women’s Day! 

The campaign this year reminds us to embrace equity as a way to recognise that each of us has different circumstances, and we need different resources and opportunities to reach an equal outcome. Of course, this is as vital in ageing and health outcomes as in every other field.  

So we’re embracing our age and hoping to grow older in a more equitable society ❤️

#internationalwomensday #embraceequity #embracequity2023 ##longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #iwd2023 #madformidlife
We’ve learned to love walking backwards! So many We’ve learned to love walking backwards! So many benefits when it comes to ageing well. 

If you’re not sure how to start or are worried about looking silly (we were) - there are lots of tips on the blog, link in bio. 

If you’re a backwards walker, let us know in comments below! 

If you’re planning to start, save this post for when you’re ready for some reverse walking 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #walking #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike #reversewalking #backwardswalking #walkingbackwards
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