Vision in older people

Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching are the senses with which we perceive our environment. People with normal sight depend heavily on visual information about their surroundings to move around and avoid obstacles and dangerous situations. People who cannot see accurately have to rely on their other working senses, or those of a guide dog.

Eyesight problems and blindness affect approximately two million people in the UK; of which 90 per cent are over 60. It is normal for our eyesight to change with age and the ability to see accurately without help, such as glasses, declines rapidly between the ages of 50 to 90. A large number of older people have impaired vision or suffer from eye disorders.

Find out more about the anatomy of the human eye and age related eye conditions and blindness by touching one of the menu buttons to the right.