Chapter 17- Vision

Question 1

Effects of Age-Related Changes on
Vision

Answer 1

• Diminished ability to focus clearly on objects at various distances
• Diminished ability to detect details
• Slower adaptive response to changes in lighting
• Increased glare sensitivity
• Reduced visual field and depth perception
• Altered colour vision: blue objects look darker and white ones appear more yellowed
• Critical flicker fusion: Diminished ability to perceive flashing lights
• Slower visual information processing

Question 2

What is Presbyopia?

Answer 2

Loss of accommodation (ability to focus clearly and quickly on objects at various distances)
* begins in early adulthood and progresses through older adulthood at varying rates.
* This vision change is caused by degenerative changes in the lens and the ciliary body.
Example: need to hold reading materials farther from the eye to focus clearly on the print.

Question 3

Risk Factors That affect Visual
Wellness

Answer 3

• Lifestyle: poor nutrition, cigarette smoking
• Environmental: poor lighting, exposure to sunlight, wind, low humidity, warmer environmental temperatures, secondhand
  smoke
• Chronic conditions: diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer or Parkinson disease
• Adverse medication effects: estrogen, corticosteroids, anticholinergics, β-blockers, antiparkinson agents

Question 4

What is Cataracts?

Answer 4

• leading, reversible cause of vision impairment
• caused by age-related changes in the lens in middle adulthood; lens becomes cloudy
• age, exposure to UV, smoking, diabetes, malnutrition, trauma/radiation to the eye, medications
• managed with corrective lenses or surgery to remove lens

Question 5

Signs and Symptoms of Cataracts

Answer 5

• Dim or blurred vision
• Increased sensitivity to glare,
• Decreased contrast sensitivity
• Double vision
• Seeing halos around bright lights*
• Diminished color perception

Question 6

What is Age-Related Macular Degeneration?

Answer 6

Leading cause of severe vision loss in older adults
- blurs central vision
Risk factors
* Advanced age, family history of AMD, smoking, nutrition, exposure to sunlight

Question 7

What is Glaucoma?

Answer 7

• A leading cause of blindness
• Group of eye diseases
• build up of pressure in the eye which damages the optic nerve and causes loss of peripheral vision
• can lead to blindness if untreated

Question 8

Chronic vs Acute Glaucoma

Answer 8

Chronic (open-angle) glaucoma
S&S: slow onset, diminished vision in dim light, increased sensitivity to glare, decreased contrast sensitivity, diminished
peripheral vision
Treatment: medical therapy with prescription eye drops

Acute (closed-angle) glaucoma
-Caused by a sudden complete blockage of the flow of aqueous humour.
-Abrupt onset in one or both eyes
-Medical emergency.
-S&S: sudden onset, intense pain, blurred vision, halos around lights, nausea and vomiting
-Treatment: immediate treatment with medications, followed by surgery