Lots of our elderly parents, grandparents or ageing relatives tend to hide or minimise their eyesight problems because they don’t want to lose their independence or they may not want to trouble or burden you. These gradual changes they may adapt to without even realising.
An elderly person may not tell you their eyesight is deteriorating — so what can you, as a relative actually notice?
Changes in reading and seeing things
You may notice that they are changing the way they look at things. These may include:
- Holding books and phones at different lengths and angles to focus due to blurry or hazy vision
- Squinting and tilting their heads when watching TV
Losing interest in hobbies
Have they stopped or lost interest in their hobbies which they once enjoyed?
You may notice that they have lost enthusiasm in the hobbies and activities that require vision like knitting, reading, playing cards or their crossword puzzles.
Changes in driving
You may notice behavioural changes in their driving before they tell you that their eyesight has changed such as refusing to drive at night, driving less often, driving unusually slowly. They may also complain about problems such as glare from headlights, seeing halos or difficulty seeing pedestrians and road signs.
Needing more light
Another observation you might see is they prefer rooms to be brighter or ask you to turn the light up in a room which may seem perfectly fine for you.
Changes when walking
They become more cautious when walking. You may notice that they:
- Walk more slowly
- Hold onto walls
- Look at the floor
- Have difficulty judging depth
- Have difficulty seeing changes in flooring
- Are cautious with stairs
They may also start bumping into things, such as:
- Tripping over rugs
- Bumping into furniture and door frames
Problems at mealtimes
You may see they are having difficulty with everyday tasks at mealtimes such as overreaching or underreaching for cutlery or utensils, knocking over glasses, over-pouring water into glasses, difficulty cutting food or even getting food on the fork.
Clothing and colours
You may also notice that they are having difficulty distinguishing certain colours such as failing to notice food stains on clothes, pairing odd colours and patterns when it comes to clothing.
Cleaning
Whilst cleaning you notice they are missing things around the home. They leave dust or stains that they previously would have noticed.
Social withdrawal
They may act visually confused during family events and gatherings. They may withdraw from social gatherings because they fail to recognise faces, making them anxious.
What else might you notice?
You may notice that your elderly parent, grandparent or relative sees the world differently. They may be slower in everyday tasks and become less confident when moving around.
You may also notice sore, watery eyes or them rubbing their eyes. They may complain that their eyes feel tired or that they are experiencing frequent headaches.
Some of the changes you notice may be related to age-related eye conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration or glaucoma.
One of these changes on its own doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem with their eyesight, but several changes together are a good reason to arrange an eye test.
What should you do if you notice these changes?
If you notice any of the above changes or are concerned about your elderly parent, grandparent, relative or friend, please give us a call to book a free home eye test appointment.