Over 40 Wellness: How Your Vision Changes As You Get Older

Let’s get real: As you get older your vision changes and it is important to get your eyes checked regularly to stay on top of age related changes.

Truth be told, one of the most real and frustrating aspects of getting older is how age impacts your vision. For everyone it is different, but for me there are two changes that I have noticed with my vision after I turned 40. First of all, my close-up/reading vision is not as clear or as sharp as when I was younger, which means that sometimes depending on the lighting, I frequently need reading glasses to sharpen whatever I am reading, whether it is on a screen or a printed page. Secondly, from time to time my overall vision fluctuates, meaning that most days my vision stays the same but sometimes when I am really tired or I have spent countless hours working on the computer my vision is not as crisp and clear and my eyes need a rest. Can any of you relate to this?

Most of my adult life, I have worn glasses to help with seeing things at a distance. And because my prescription is minimal, I can often get away without wearing glasses at all. However, after age 40 I find that whenever I go out to see a show or am driving at night when conditions are less optimal, I always need to wear my glasses to see clearly at a distance. However, the age-related change that I probably find most frustrating is the variety in my vision needs now. I need to wear my glasses for seeing at a distance, but I can see up close just fine. For that reason, I often need to take off my glasses to see up close or put on a pair of readers when needed or wear a progressive lens which has a distance correction on top and a reading correction on the bottom.

In addition to figuring out my age related vision challenges, –I am fashionista– and it is important to me to look stylish and chic while wearing glasses and not old lady-ish. The struggle is real: as an over 40 woman, I need to make sure that I have the right lenses to see crisp and clear and also as a fashionista I need to look stylish while doing so!

So the reason that I am candidly sharing all of my very real age-related vision struggles in this post is because I want to encourage you to stay on top of your eye health and get your annual eye exam. Vision care is an essential part of your overall health and wellness and that is why I have partnered with VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits provider in the United States, to shed light on this important topic. The cherry on top is that with VSP I also don’t have to compromise style, they have amazing brands to choose from, including these chic Calvin’s!

VSP and YouGov recently conducted a noteworthy study that showed a significant portion of Americans are neglecting their eyes, primarily because they don’t understand the importance of annual eye exams and how it is connected to their overall health. The results from the survey revealed that the majority of Americans rank vision as their most important of the 5 senses, however only half actually make a point of getting annual eye exams. The main reason that people skip eye exams is because they feel that they don’t need new glasses/contacts, followed by the cost and not having vision insurance. This is concerning because many vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms, so you might not know a problem exists unless you get a professional eye exam. So I want to gently encourage you to make point of getting your eyes checked regularly, much like you would schedule an annual mammogram after age 40.

If you don’t have vision insurance, Fall is the peak time for open enrollment and you should take the time to investigate your health plan options and see what your employer offers. And I also wanted to point out that while most go thru open enrollment in the Fall, if you experience a life change like marriage or childbirth, you may be eligible to change your benefit selections and add dependents, meaning if vision benefits are offered – you could sign up. For more vision care info check out seemuchmore.com.

This blog post is sponsored by VSP® Vision Care, the leading provider in vision care and coverage, providing access to care for more than 88 million members. Visit seemuchmore.com, or talk to your employer to enroll with VSP this open enrollment season.