'Most eye diseases show up after the age of 40,' he said. 'In Singapore, eye health is a growing concern because of ageing population.'
Besides the climbing numbers of older people, there is also the factor of greater longevity.
Said Prof Tan: 'People are living longer - the older you are, the greater the risk of eye diseases.'
A study on the local Malay population last year found that people aged 80 and above are 15 times more prone to visual impairment than those aged 40 years and below.
The truth is that eye diseases tend to be inevitable. As we grow older, our eyes become less efficient, said Dr Clement Tan, a consultant ophthalmologist at National University Hospital (NUH).
'Our lenses harden and the ciliary muscle, which is responsible for focusing, weakens,' said Dr Tan. 'Additionally, the lens starts to lose its transparency.'
Colour perception and contrast is also reduced, said DrHoh Sek-Tien, a consultant eye surgeon at Gleneagles Hospital. A reason is that the ageing lens increases the scattering of light.
The ageing process causes a range of problems from presbyopia (long-sightedness) to cataracts. Up to 90 per cent of people aged between 70 and 80 years have cataracts, said ProfTan.
Other serious afflictions include glaucoma - the leading cause of blindness in Singapore, accounting for 34per cent of the total number of blindness cases - and age-related macular degeneration, said DrLeonard Yip, a consultant ophthalmologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The trouble is that unlike many ailments where pain is an obvious indicator, severe eye diseases tend to be painless and symptom-free.
Hence, many people are unaware that they have an eye problem until much later, said ophthalmic surgeon Cheryl Lee of Pacific Healthcare Specialist Centre.
'The danger is that blinding eye diseases are usually painless,' said Dr Lee, who is also a medical and surgical retinal specialist. 'For example, in age-related macular degeneration - a condition where central vision is affected - you can be all right one day and wake up blind the next day.'
The slow progression of diseases like glaucoma also spells danger.
Local researchers who did a study in 2003 on Tanjong Pagar residents found that over 90 per cent of those who were found to have glaucoma were unaware they had the condition.
One reason could be that glaucoma - often termed as a 'silent thief' of sight - damages peripheral vision before central vision; hence, people can still see well in the earlier stages as we rely on our central vision more, said Prof Tan.
Dr Lee added: 'If one eye is affected, the other eye will compensate. Overall, you may still be able to see pretty well.'
Also, the elderly often dismiss vision problems as part and parcel of the ageing process.
'It's common for the elderly to negleBody, The Straits Times.
