This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two years ago, Chris Humphrey had perfect vision.
The world looked vivid, even at night. He could make out car license plates at a distance. Upper bowl seats at basketball games were no big deal.
Then age set in. Humphrey's vision got fuzzy. He began to have trouble seeing in poor light. Items on the grocery store shelf grew indecipherable without glasses.
"I used to be able to drive at night without the glasses but now that's out of the question since this poses a threat to public safety," Humphrey said in an e-mail. "The final straw was when I took my daughter to a Utes basketball game with tickets up high and found that I could not see the scoreboard nor the players on the court.
"So far, the approach of old age sucks," said Humphrey, who is 45 and lives in Cottonwood Heights. "I wonder what's next to wear out."
Vision changes are one of the inevitable effects of aging - and yet deteriorating sight comes as a surprise and shock to many people.
"Nobody tells you the real deal until it's too late," said Tab Uno, 51, of Clearfield. "I thought I would be one of the few immune to it."
But he and other baby boomers are discovering one of life's great surprises: Most of us won't escape this age-related change and many will struggle with eye diseases.
Some 72 percent of U.S. adults require vision correction, according to 2006 data from the Vision Council of America.
By 2020, for example, the number of people who have cataracts is expected to grow by 10 million, according to the National Eye Institute.
Expect to see demands for bigger type in the phone book and product labels as well as a surge in costs of treating and dealing with loss of vision.
The first vision changes typically come in the 40s, as the lens stiffens and has trouble shifting between near and far. It's called presbyopia.
That tiny type in the phone book? No chance. The menu at your favorite restaurant? Yeah, right. Even when the lighting is good, it's only readable at arm's length.
Some people may find it harder to see at a distance as the eyes adapt to demands of close-up work, such as sitting at a computer screen all day.
"When I see people in the clinic, they are often quite frustrated to realize it is happening to them," said Nick Mamalis, a physician and professor of ophthalmology at the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah.
At this stage, there is an easy fix: reading or distance glasses. It may be helpful, too, to take frequent breaks from reading or computer work and to sit farther away from a computer screen.
There also are two surgical options: Implantable lenses, a relatively new and expensive alternative with unknown long-term implications; or, LASIK eye surgery.
LASIK surgery doesn't fix focusing problems. Instead, it gets around the problem by creating monovision - giving you near vision in one eye and distance vision in the other.
Some people may have trouble adjusting to monovision, which can affect depth perception and ability to see in low light. And some people find they still need reading glasses. A doctor may ask to you to experiment with contact lenses before proceeding with the surgery.
"LASIK for the treatment of myopia is very successful in people with low to moderate myopia and normal corneal thickness," Mamalis said. But, "LASIK surgery for the correction of presbyopia is not a very good option and not generally recommended."
Steven Purhonen, a retired Navy pilot, had the eyes of hawk as a young man. Older pilots warned him time would catch up with his eyes.
"I, of course, poo-poohed them, thinking it would not happen to me," Purhonen said in an e-mail. Then, a physical on his 45th birthday showed he needed glasses.
"It was so subtle I didn't realize the clarity I had gradually lost until I wore my new glasses for the first time and watched TV," said Purhonen, 62, of Salt Lake City.
Now Purhonen has two pairs: distance glasses and "cheaters" that he uses for reading.
As time goes on, most people find they need to rely on their glasses more and more to see well, Mamalis said, and the prescription may get increasingly stronger. Bifocals or trifocals, which aid vision at varying distances, may be necessary.
"I have trifocals, computer glasses, bifocals, executive glasses - I have so many pairs of glasses you would think I was the Lions Club," said Mary E. Petty, 56, of Sandy. "But I can see!"
Mamalis said that aside from presbyopia, many people will have healthy eyes throughout their lives.
"If there is no other disease process going on, the aging process doesn't cause you to lose your eyesight," Mamalis said.
Still, millions will find themselves battling eye problems as they age, the first problems typically surfacing between the ages of 40 and 60.
Cataracts, which cause the lens to become hard and cloudy, are "very much age dependent," Mamalis said. Environmental changes, such as using brighter lighting, and glasses may help; surgery to replace the lens may be necessary.
Age-related macular degeneration, which causes the retina to deteriorate, typically appears around age 60 and is signaled by difficulty seeing things at the center of the field of vision.
Carol Withrow made the typical progression, beginning in her 40s, from glasses to bifocals and trifocals. Several years ago she noticed street-lane lines looked wavy, a common symptom of macular degeneration. Withrow, who is in her 70s, has the wet-form of the disease.
So far, the condition has responded "miraculously" to a new, injectable medication available since last July.
"I feel extra lucky," said Withrow, who lives in Salt Lake City.
Another condition that may surface with age: glaucoma, in which pressure increases inside the eye and damages the optic nerve. Glaucoma often develops without any symptoms, although loss of peripheral vision can be a clue something is amiss.
Experts say there are things you can do to maintain good eyesight as you age. At the top of the list: quit smoking. A healthy diet, regular exercise and use of sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat when in bright sunlight also are recommended. You also may need to increase the lighting in your home, particularly in areas where you work or read.
And taking certain supplements appears to slow vision loss, particularly that caused by age-related macular degeneration.
Researchers have found high doses of antioxidant vitamins and minerals - vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc and copper - reduce progression of degenerative disease by 25 percent.
In October, the National Institutes of Health launched a nationwide study aimed at building on the first study's results. It will focus on vitamins, minerals and fish oil along with lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA.
The study will follow 4,000 people between the ages of 50 and 85 with varying degrees of age-related macular degeneration.
"What we found is there are several nutritional steps you can take that may be helpful," Mamalis said.
Mamalis said a number of companies make supplements based on the study results. Among those available over-the-counter: Icaps, Ocuguard Plus, Ocuvite, PreserVision and FloraGlo.
Other than the harm to your wallet, "it is reasonable to go ahead and consider using them," he said.
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