Wearing contact lenses for aged people

It is a statistical fact that most contact lens users are young people. What about the elderly? Can they use contact lenses? Wearing contact lenses depends on your eyes’ health and not on your age. It is natural that with age some health issues arise, some of those are eye related issues.

Here are some of those issues:

• 1.Difficulty of putting and removing the contact lenses

This problem is not really a problem. It is more of a psychological nature. Many elderly people by nature are conservative; therefore they are wary of everything new. They are frightened by the fact that contact lenses are inserted into the eyes. However, if a person overcomes his fears, he can easily cope with putting on and removing the lenses. Of course, there are cases that elderly people have problems with coordination of movement. Then the use of lenses is impossible.

• 2. Age-related near-sightedness

Over time, the person develops age-related near-sightedness, in which the eyes become unable to focus on objects located near. This is a natural, inevitable age process. Occurs most often after the age of forty. The cause of presbyopia is the weakening of the eye lens muscles, its inability to change its refractive force depending on the location of the object, and also to focus the image on the retina. However, presbyopia is not a contraindication for wearing contact lenses. With this vision problem, multi focal contact lenses are used. These lenses have at once three zones of vision: for distance, near and average remoteness of objects. Contact lenses fit perfectly on the eyes and do not restrict freedom of movement

• 3.Dry eye syndrome

"Dry eye syndrome" is a relative contraindication to wearing contact lenses; it all depends on the severity of this disease. In many cases, with "dry eye syndrome", lenses can be used together with special moisturizing drops. Their use does not allow the cornea to dry out and makes wearing contact lenses comfortable.

• 4.Cataract and glaucoma

Cataract and glaucoma are the most dangerous age-related eye diseases that can lead to a complete loss of vision. Contact lenses, of course, does not help in any way with these diseases, surgery is the only option. However, wearing contact lenses with cataract and glaucoma for correcting myopia is not prohibited. One should only remember that the lenses are prescribed by the doctor, and each case of these diseases is treated individually. After surgery to eliminate glaucoma, contact lens wear is contraindicated.

• 5.Presbyopia is the result of eye deterioration. 

The eye lenses lose their elasticity and cannot adjust so well on changing distances. At the age of five, we could still see sharp objects at a distance of 8 cm, 45 years later; the sharpness even at a distance of 35 cm is problematic. From the age of 50 it becomes more difficult to read the newspaper or a book so that they are kept further away.

But still you do not have to give up contact lenses even in old age! The solution is multi focal or bifocal contact lenses. These multi-thickness lenses are available as soft and hard lenses and make reading glasses superfluous. Whether you want to look into the distance or read a newspaper, with multi focal lenses you can see far and near sharp.You can have daily or monthly lenses based on your preference.

The conclusion can be made as following: wearing contact lenses does not have any strict age limits, in this issue the main thing is the doctor's recommendations. Experience benefits of contact lenses and have fun with excellent vision at any age!