Your eyes as you age

Understand how vision changes with age and what you can do to keep your eyes healthy.

What you need to know

Whether big or small, eyesight challenges shouldn’t be ignored. Usually, they can be helped with glasses, contact lenses, eye drops, better lighting at home, or simple technology. Sometimes, changes in vision are signs of medical conditions that need attention.

Our health care system offers a range of vision professionals to help keep your eyes healthy and respond to changes in eyesight.

You can protect your eyesight. You have the power to protect your eyesight with a healthy lifestyle.

Vision health affects more than daily comfort. When vision or hearing problems go untreated, the risk of dementia can increase.

Options are continually improving. Technology and treatment for vision loss are continually improving. You might be surprised at all the options available.

There is nothing embarrassing about getting help. Many people avoid seeking care for their eyesight and using vision aids because they feel embarrassed. But there’s nothing shameful about taking care of our health, and our vision is part of our health.

Support can still make a difference. Vision problems can’t always be fixed, but you can find support to keep living the life you want to live.

Know your terms

These terms are often used in eye care. Here’s what they mean in plain language. Some terms have legal definitions and some more generally describe someone’s vision experience.

Low vision cannot be improved enough with conventional glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery, and is severe enough that daily tasks need to be modified.

Blindness is a visual disability that is severe enough to interfere with daily activities such as reading, cooking, or driving. This could mean total darkness, but also many different levels and types of visual disability.

Legal Blindness is a level of blindness that has been defined by law to limit some activities, such as driving, for liability or legal reasons, such as car crashes.

Deaf Blindness involves difficulty with both hearing and vision that impacts daily activities.

An Optometrist is your primary care provider for eye and vision health. The person you see for regular check-ups and who you contact when you have concerns. Has a Doctor of Optometry degree.

An Ophthalmologist is a surgeon and medical specialist in eye diseases. You will usually need a referral from your optometrist to see an ophthalmologist

An Optician provides glasses and contact lenses. Works with a prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist

Steps you can take today

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Eat and sleep well

These two activities support all aspects of our health, including how our eyes function. Eat a varied diet with lots of whole foods and not many processed foods. If you have trouble sleeping, learn about ways to improve this.

Get regular exercise

Exercise brings more oxygen to your whole body, including your eyes—and they really need it. The retina (an important part of your eye) uses more oxygen than any other part of your body per square millimetre of tissue!

You don’t need to be a marathon runner. Anything that gets you moving and raises your heart rate will help. Visit our Mobility page for more information.

Wear sunglasses with 100% UV protection

Sunglasses will lower your risk of cataracts and other serious eye conditions. They also protect you from eye sunburn, which can be very painful. Even if you feel sunlight isn’t bothering you, it can cause permanent damage over time.

Don’t forget to wear your sunglasses in the car—the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation gets through glass.

Tip

You don’t need expensive sunglasses—look at the UV rating label, not the price tag!

Make an appointment with an optometrist for an annual check-up

Adults 65 and older should see an optometrist once a year. This is important even if you are not experiencing any problems with vision. The optometrist can spot early signs of trouble so you can get treatment before things get worse.

Tip

Your provincial health insurance will help cover the cost of an annual optometrist check-up if you are 65 or older.

Find the right professional help

If your vision is stopping you from doing the things you need or love to do, don’t give up hope! You can start with a visit to the optometrist, but you don’t need to stop there.

A vision rehabilitation professional is a trained paramedical expert who helps people function with vision loss. Ask your optometrist for a referral or contact Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada to find a vision rehabilitation professional near you.

Resist stigma

Don’t let embarrassment stop you from using vision aids or asking for help with lighting, font size, or other support. The more we learn and talk about vision loss and solutions, the easier it becomes for everyone to seek help.

Vision Challenges

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      Condition or change
      What is it?
      What can I do?
      Treatment?
    
        Dark adaptation
      
        As your eyes age, you can find it harder to move between bright and dark places. This is normal.
      
        Remember to slow down a bit in these situations to let the eye and brain adapt.
      
        —
      
        Glare
      
        Sensitivity to glare increases as we get older.
      
        Wear a hat and sunglasses when outside. Inside, make sure lighting is bright and even and not directed directly at your eyes. Consider limiting driving at night.
      
        Talk to your optometrist about solutions.
      
        Dry eye
      
        Dry eye happens when your eyes don’t produce enough moisture. Your eyes might be red and feel scratchy, itchy, stinging, or as if there is sand or grit in them. Sometimes, your eyes actually produce too many tears.
      
        See an optometrist who can figure out what is causing the dry eye and recommend treatment.
      
        Dry eye can usually be helped with eye drops or ointments. Don’t buy a product without getting a recommendation—some eye drops could make things worse.
      
        Cataracts
      
        A cataract happens when the lens inside your eye becomes cloudy. You may notice the world looks blurry, or you need more light. Cataracts are the most common form of vision loss for older adults in Canada. They are usually easy to treat.
      
        See your optometrist once a year or whenever problems arise. They can look into your eye to see if you have cataracts.
      
        Your optometrist will refer you to an ophthalmologist for surgery. Surgery takes a couple of hours, and you can go home the same day.
      
        Glaucoma
      
        Glaucoma is a group of diseases that affect the pressure in the eye. It can cause permanent vision loss. It is sometimes called the silent theft of sight because there are no symptoms in the early stages.
      
        See your optometrist once a year. They can spot glaucoma in the early stages using special equipment.
      
        Glaucoma, if detected in time, can usually be treated with daily eye drops. Sometimes, surgery is needed.
      
        Macular degeneration
      
        Age-related macular degeneration in an eye disease that affects how you see things directly in front of you. It is the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 50.
      
        See your optometrist once a year. They can spot macular degeneration in the early stages using a special microscope.
      
        Macular degeneration can be treated with dietary supplements and eye injections. This can stop the disease from getting worse but won’t restore lost sight. Also, you can use vision aids (magnifiers) to help you continue with your daily activities.
      
        Diabetic retinopathy
      
        Diabetes can lead to damaged blood vessels in the part of the eye called the retina. This can cause severe vision impairment. Diabetic retinopathy is the fifth leading cause of avoidable blindness in Canada. It usually does not create any symptoms in its early stages.
      
        If you have diabetes type 1, get an eye exam within five years of diagnosis, and then every year. If you have diabetes 2, get an eye exam when you are first diagnosed and then every year.
      
        Treatment includes blood sugar management, injections, laser therapy, and in some cases, surgery.

Condition or change	What is it?	What can I do?	Treatment?
Dark adaptation	As your eyes age, you can find it harder to move between bright and dark places. This is normal.	Remember to slow down a bit in these situations to let the eye and brain adapt.	—
Glare	Sensitivity to glare increases as we get older.	Wear a hat and sunglasses when outside. Inside, make sure lighting is bright and even and not directed directly at your eyes. Consider limiting driving at night.	Talk to your optometrist about solutions.
Dry eye	Dry eye happens when your eyes don’t produce enough moisture. Your eyes might be red and feel scratchy, itchy, stinging, or as if there is sand or grit in them. Sometimes, your eyes actually produce too many tears.	See an optometrist who can figure out what is causing the dry eye and recommend treatment.	Dry eye can usually be helped with eye drops or ointments. Don’t buy a product without getting a recommendation—some eye drops could make things worse.
Cataracts	A cataract happens when the lens inside your eye becomes cloudy. You may notice the world looks blurry, or you need more light. Cataracts are the most common form of vision loss for older adults in Canada. They are usually easy to treat.	See your optometrist once a year or whenever problems arise. They can look into your eye to see if you have cataracts.	Your optometrist will refer you to an ophthalmologist for surgery. Surgery takes a couple of hours, and you can go home the same day.
Glaucoma	Glaucoma is a group of diseases that affect the pressure in the eye. It can cause permanent vision loss. It is sometimes called the silent theft of sight because there are no symptoms in the early stages.	See your optometrist once a year. They can spot glaucoma in the early stages using special equipment.	Glaucoma, if detected in time, can usually be treated with daily eye drops. Sometimes, surgery is needed.
Macular degeneration	Age-related macular degeneration in an eye disease that affects how you see things directly in front of you. It is the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 50.	See your optometrist once a year. They can spot macular degeneration in the early stages using a special microscope.	Macular degeneration can be treated with dietary supplements and eye injections. This can stop the disease from getting worse but won’t restore lost sight. Also, you can use vision aids (magnifiers) to help you continue with your daily activities.
Diabetic retinopathy	Diabetes can lead to damaged blood vessels in the part of the eye called the retina. This can cause severe vision impairment. Diabetic retinopathy is the fifth leading cause of avoidable blindness in Canada. It usually does not create any symptoms in its early stages.	If you have diabetes type 1, get an eye exam within five years of diagnosis, and then every year. If you have diabetes 2, get an eye exam when you are first diagnosed and then every year.	Treatment includes blood sugar management, injections, laser therapy, and in some cases, surgery.

Myth vs. Fact

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What the numbers say

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About 50%

By age 75, about half of Canadians have mild vision or hearing loss. Most people manage this well with support.

50%

By the time you turn 70, you have a 50 percent chance of developing cataracts.

Vision loss can increase other health risks

Compared with older adults without vision loss, older adults with vision loss face:

Risk of falls 2×

Risk of hip fractures 4×

Bar length shows the relative difference between the 2× and 4× risks.

Older adults with vision loss also face a greater risk of mistakes in taking medication.

3 years

Older adults with vision loss move to nursing homes three years earlier than those with no vision loss, on average.

98%+

of cataract surgery is successful.

Signs of an eye emergency

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Some eye symptoms need urgent care. See an eye care professional right away if you:

Suddenly can’t see, or see very poorly
See new specks that seem to float across your vision (known as floaters) or flashes of light
Experience double vision
Feel sudden intense pain in your eye
Have a swollen or red eye or eyelid

If you can’t see an optometrist within 48 hours of experiencing any of these symptoms, go to a hospital emergency room.

Learn more: finding solutions

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If your vision problems make it hard for you to do everyday activities, you have options. Vision rehabilitation helps people learn new ways to do daily activities and stay independent.

What does a vision rehabilitation professional do?

A vision rehabilitation professional will get to know your eyesight abilities and offer solutions designed for your needs and daily life. Everyone is different. Some people might need help with cooking or pouring a cup of coffee. Others want to go to university, read to their grandchildren, or take the bus to the community centre.

Some solutions involve new tools that take time to learn. Others are simple. For example, you could use contrasting colours for dishes or put brightly coloured tape along the edges of stairs.

Examples: a vision rehabilitation professional can help you

Be safe at home

Install better lighting
Set up your kitchen so you can prepare food safely
Learn to use a magnifier (a device that attaches to your regular glasses or your head, or sits on your table, to help you see better for specific tasks)

Use technology

Learn to use a screen reader (software that reads aloud what is on your computer screen)
Adjust the settings on your computer and phone so you can read and see graphics
Use tools that talk to you, such as wristwatches, timers, scales, thermometers, glucose monitors, and more
Learn to use a white cane

Find support

Apply for funding from government and non-profit organizations
Find healthcare and community programs

Who is vision rehabilitation aimed at?

Vision rehabilitation is for people who have vision problems that interfere with their daily life, and which can’t be helped with glasses, surgery, or medication.

How to find a vision rehabilitation professional

Ask your optometrist for a referral to a vision rehabilitation professional, or
Contact Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada . This national not-for-profit organization can connect you to a vision rehabilitation professional in your area. They also travel to remote regions to provide services.

Learn more: what research tells us

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Vision loss isn’t only a practical problem. It also affects social, emotional, and brain health. According to a long-term study, vision loss:

Leads to lower confidence

Increases the risk of depression

Is linked to loneliness and lower participation in social networks

Vision and brain health

As well, some research shows that people with uncorrected vision loss are more likely to develop dementia than people without vision loss.

People struggling with vision can find it harder to do the things that keep our brains healthy, such as being physically and socially active or eating healthy food.

Resources: information and specialists

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Find care

Find an optometrist with the Canadian Association of Optometrists database

Find a vision rehabilitation professional at Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada

Test your own vision

Click here to download the WHOeyes app, developed by the World Health Organization, for a home vision test. This does not replace the need for regular eye checks by an eye care professional, even if your vision is good.

Find reliable information about vision health

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind

HealthLink BC: Eye Problems, Non-Injury

HealthLink BC: Eye Problems, with Vision Changes

HealthLink BC: Vision Problems: Living with Poor Eyesight

Connect with other people experiencing vision loss

Join the Facebook group Low Vision

Contact Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada and ask about support groups