Eye Health After 60: Tired Eyes, Screens and Nutrients That Matter

How eyes change with age

• Presbyopia: the lens stiffens, making close-up focus harder. Almost everyone needs reading glasses eventually.
• More light needed: the pupil gets smaller and the lens yellows, so a 60-year-old needs far more light to read than a 20-year-old.
• Glare sensitivity, especially at night.
• Dry eyes: tear production falls, particularly in women after menopause.
• Higher risk of eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, which often have no early symptoms.

The exam you should not skip

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a comprehensive dilated eye exam every one to two years from age 65, or as your eye doctor advises. Glaucoma and early macular changes are usually painless and only show up in an exam. See an eye doctor urgently for sudden vision loss, flashes of light, a shower of new floaters, a curtain over your vision, or straight lines that suddenly look wavy.

Tired eyes and screen strain

When we look at a screen we blink up to half as often, which dries the eye surface. Combined with naturally drier eyes after 60, that is a recipe for burning, tired eyes by evening. What helps:

1. The 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
2. Blink on purpose and use preservative-free lubricating drops if your eyes feel dry.
3. Make text bigger rather than leaning in.
4. Light the room so the screen is not the brightest thing in it, and avoid glare from windows.
5. Get the right glasses: computer distance is different from reading distance.

Nutrients that matter for aging eyes

The center of the retina, the macula, is packed with two yellow pigments: lutein and zeaxanthin. They filter blue light and act as antioxidants. Your body cannot make them, so they come from food (kale, spinach, collard greens, corn, egg yolks) or supplements.

The largest research on eye nutrition comes from the National Eye Institute's AREDS and AREDS2 studies. In people who already had intermediate age-related macular degeneration, a specific formula (vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein and zeaxanthin) slowed progression to the advanced stage. That formula is a treatment decision for your eye doctor, not a general supplement; for people without the condition, the evidence for prevention is weaker. Still, the studies helped establish lutein and zeaxanthin as the key nutrients for the macula.

• Lutein and zeaxanthin: raise macular pigment density in studies.
• Omega-3 fats: part of the retina's structure; may help some people with dry eyes.
• Bilberry, astaxanthin, saffron: popular for eye fatigue; small studies, promising but limited.

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Everyday habits for healthy eyes

• Wear sunglasses that block UV and a hat outdoors.
• Do not smoke: smoking sharply raises the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.
• Eat leafy greens several times a week.
• Keep blood pressure and blood sugar under control; both affect the small blood vessels in the eye.
• Improve lighting at home to read comfortably and prevent falls.