Signs You Are Going Blind

What are the signs you are going blind?

If you can’t read street signs from the distance you used to, you may be going blind. Or need glasses.

How can I tell the difference?

If things get blurrier over time, you might be developing cataracts, as the outer layers of the eye become like scratched up glass. Or you’re becoming nearsighted and farsighted as the lenses stiffen.

I’ve never heard of having both nearsightedness and farsightedness in one person.

What do you think bifocals and trifocals treat?

I’d like to know something that is a sign of actual blindness, not needing glasses.

If you’ve had a head injury or stroke and now have part of the field of vision turn red or dark, get to a hospital to check the retina. And get to an eye doctor if you have floaters.

What are floaters?

If you have floating spots in your field of vision, that is a possible sign of vision problems. It is serious if you have red vision or head pain at the same time.

Or it could be a sign of old age.

Blurred vision, seeing colored rainbows and red eyes are signs of glaucoma. And glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness.

I thought that could be treated with surgery.

Surgery can ease the pressure in the eye. And they may give you medicine to treat the blood pressure and underlying cause.

Diabetes.

Diabetes is not glaucoma, but the deterioration of the blood vessels that causes so many diabetics to lose kidney function and their feet can leave them blind, too.

Yet another reason to lay off the sweets and get up and get moving.

Or at least manage your blood sugar properly in old age.

But if it saves your vision, eating almost anything is worth it.

I never would have thought I’d want to see oat bran and prunes as an old person.