Looking after your eye sight The senses often become blunted
with age. Changes tend to take place very gradually. If you
experience a sudden change in your ability to see or hear,
consult a doctor as it may be a sign of underlying illness. The
eyes undergo a number of changes as you grow older. The lens
becomes more opaque and loses its flexibility, the iris becomes
sluggish, the retina can become less sensitive to light, and a
condition called glaucoma Ė in which pressure builds up inside
the eye Ė becomes more likely. On average, the eye of a 60-year-
old person lets in half as much light as a younger personís. The
most common type of age-related vision change is long-
sightedness. Warning signs of eye problems are as follows:
difficulty seeing objects close-up (this may be caused by hazy
vision, a blur around lights and the sensation of looking
through fog (this may be caused by cataracts) loss of peripheral
vision, flashes of light and floating shapes (this may be caused
by retinal detachment) rapid or grad