Eye injuries can be a huge problem for your senior, both physically and from a mental health standpoint. Some of the signs of an eye issue can be subtle, so here’s what you need to look for.
Eye Pain
If your elderly family member seems to be rubbing her eye or indicates that the area in or around her eye hurts, that might indicate there’s an injury. Sometimes the pain is the result of something striking near or in her eye, but eye pain can occur for other reasons, too. If your elderly family member can’t tell you what happened, you may have to piece together details.
Redness or Swelling
It might not be obvious when your senior is experiencing eye pain but swelling or redness in or around her eye is something you probably are going to notice. Look for signs of an injury. Icing the area can help to reduce the swelling a little bit until you can get your senior to her doctor or to her eye doctor.
Watery or Teary Eyes
The eye has a solid self-defense mechanism. Your senior’s eye may start to water or tear up when she’s exposed to irritants. Those irritants might be physical, such as a piece of dust or pollen in her eye, or they can be chemical. Rinsing the eye with a saline rinse can be helpful, but you might want to contact your senior’s doctor before you do that.
Light Sensitivity
If your elderly family member is sensitive to light, her eyes may be having some difficulties. Of course, one way to know that this is happening is for your senior to tell you what she’s experiencing. But if your senior is non-verbal, you may have to watch for signs, such as shielding her eyes or being unable to keep them open, even though she’s awake. Light sensitivity can also be a result of a migraine or other issues, so you may need to rule those out.
Fuzzy or Blurry Vision
Blurry vision or being unable to see clearly can also be an indication that your elderly family member has injured her eye. This can be really subtle, though. In fact, your senior might not notice at first that her vision is blurry. You may be more likely to notice that she’s squinting when she’s trying to see something clearly.
Keeping your senior as safe as possible can help her to avoid injuries that affect things that are as fragile as her vision. Elderly care providers can help you to determine where the biggest problems are for your senior and put solutions in place.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Buckeye, AZ, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Resources at (602) 443-4700
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