A growing body of evidence suggests that when the brains of old people they have to work harder to see, there may be declines in language, memory, attention and more.

It is not surprising to think that the human body is an integrated whole in which what fails on one side can affect health for another.

It is something very evident, for example, if we refer to the ear:

• The people who see decrease your hearing they end up isolating themselves and suffering significant cognitive deficits.

But now, a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open comes to show that vision loss due to age can also affect brain function.

• The reason is that forces our brain to work harder to make sense of what our eyes “evil”, and that can affect cognitive function.

It is not the only problem that affects cognitive ability

The study included 1,202 men and women between 60 and 94 years old for an average of almost seven yearsin which they were subjected to various vision tests, in addition to the usual one of recognizing letters, which almost all of us have done at some point.

• And the researchers found that those who scored lower on visual acuity tests were more likely to have cognitive decline over time.

A deterioration that included memory, deficits in language, attention and ability to identify and locate objects in space…

Besides, other vision problems, such as depth perception and the ability to see contrastsalso had detrimental effects on cognitive ability.

Hence, the main researcher, Bonnielin Swenorepidemiologist Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institutehas said that:

• “The new study adds to the accumulation of longitudinal data showing that visual impairment can lead to cognitive impairment in older adults.

And won’t the problem be the other way around?

It is the first question that can be derived from the data obtained in the research.

• Do vision problems affect the brain or is it deterioration of the brain that affects vision?

To explain his conclusions, the Dr. Swenor, principal investigator. has used a previous study, in which he also participated, and which was carried out with 2,520 adults from 65 to 84 years old.

It was published in JAMA Ophthalmology, and in it they concluded that when both functions were considered, vision impairment was twice as likely to affect cognitive impairment than the other way around.

Furthermore, they stated in their conclusions that maintaining good vision as one ages may be an effective way to minimize the deterioration of cognitive function in older adults.

• «When people have vision loss, they decrease their physical activity and lose social activity. And that puts them on a rapid path to cognitive decline.”

The message is clear: Identifying and correcting vision loss early on can help

And that is why they recommend:

1. Regular eye checkups, at least once every two years

2. And with more often if you have diabetes, glaucoma or other conditions that can damage vision.

Aren’t glasses enough? Low vision rehabilitation

Not all vision problems can be solved with glasses.

And among them we would highlight:

• The macular degenerationwhich is precisely related to age

• The glaucoma.

In your case, the most recommended is a Little-known eye physiotherapy called “Low Vision Rehabilitation”».

It is the therapy that the principal investigator of this study, Dr. Swenor, used when a retinal disease began to compromise her vision.

Thanks to this formula got adapt to common situations despite their visual impairment. Thus he was able, for example, to see objects in a high-contrast situation, such as a black cat against a white fence.

• And although he cannot differentiate between similar colors, and cannot, for example, pour milk into a white cup, he has been adapting. AND With decisions as simple as changing the color of the mug, it can work well professionally and socially.

But ask that these changes be extended to all situations outside the home.

For example in hospitals, where almost everything is white and that causes difficulties for people with low contrast sensitivity.

It is also considered a great advance to change the color of the road guardrails, traditionally gray, which made it impossible to differentiate them as they were almost the same color as the asphalt of the road.

• “Make sure you can see well through your glasses,” he urged.

Home improvements

Everything we can do to improve the situation of people who have been losing vision with age will help keep them alert and prevent their brain from deteriorating.

For example, those who have problems with depth perception can incorporate useful home design featuressuch as color codes to move safely.

• Because The link between visual impairment and cognitive disability is neither immediate nor inevitable.

There are many ways to promote brain health for people with vision loss.

And that is where we must focus our efforts when age deprives us of acceptable vision.

The consequence of not doing so will directly affect our brain.