AGE-RELATED VISION CHANGES - A PRIMARY-CARE GUIDE

Visual impairment becomes more prevalent with age. A person has ''low vision'' when legally blind or partially sighted. In addition, many ol der patients have functional visual impairment that affects their abil ity to read, even with corrective lenses. Normal visual changes that o ccur with aging include presbyopia, decreased contrast sensitivity, de creased dark/light adaptation, and delayed glare recovery. The four mo st prevalent age-related ocular diseases are macular degeneration, ope n-angle glaucoma, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy. The primary care practitioner can identify patients with visual problems with a carefu l history and in-office tests of visual acuity. Patients with visual i mpairments should be referred to an eye care practitioner for a more c omprehensive ocular evaluation.