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