If you have diabetes, get your eyes examined at least once yearly, and closely follow your doctor's recommendations regarding diet, blood sugar control, insulin and self-care to reduce the risks of diabetic retinopathy, which can progress to severe vision loss without warning.
Seek immediate care when you detect symptoms of sight-threatening eye diseases. Remember that many symptoms of eye problems appear late in the disease process, so your urgent response is extremely important.
Ask your eye care professional to prescribe special eyeglasses that may help you see better on the road at night. Anti-reflective coatings can cut down on glare. Lenses developed with wavefront diagnostic technology can reduce halos, star bursts, glare and other distracting aberrations.
If you are a candidate for cataract surgery, ask your surgeon about replacing your clouded natural lenses with an aspheric intraocular lens. These artificial lenses are engineered to provide better contrast sensitivity and crisper vision than would be possible with the implantation of traditional, spherical intraocular lenses.
Be extra cautious when approaching intersections, where 40 percent of fatal collisions involving older motorists occur, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The most common reason for these crashes was a failure to yield, especially when making a left turn.
