Why does eyesight tend to get worse with age? and why does this worsening eventually plateau?
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I had the benefit of always having shitty eyesight, and got cataracts when I was 38. Two eye surgeries and two artificial lens implants later, I can honestly say this is something I know a bit about.
So, first and most important, behind your pupil you have your lens, which is basically a clear, jelly filled sack connected to muscles that stretch or compress the lens, which changes its shape, which allows you to focus.
As you get older, the lens becomes less flexible, it slowly hardens which reduces your ability to focus. This is why a lot of older people need reading glasses. Their lenses are no longer flexible enough to be able to change shape enough to focus on things close up.
Because I had my natural lenses replaced, my artificial ones don’t change shape at all. My eyes are basically fixed focus…so while my distance vision is fine, I can’t focus on anything close up, so need reading glasses for that. This is basically the same as your lens hardening (but without cataracts).
Plus, there are other things that affect your vision as you get older. Your eyes are precision bits of equipment, and things like the pressure inside your eyeball, scratches or damage to your cornea, your optic nerve degrading with age all play a factor.
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