If your sight deteriorates not only are you giving your brain less stimulation, you might be altering your brain at a structural level, a study finds

The deteriorating vision may contribute to the pace of cognitive decline, Reuters reports.
Results from a new study show that vision fixes, like new eyeglass  or cataract surgery can help older people stay mentally sharp.

Poor eyesight and weakening mental function are related to one another in older people. The question of whether vision influences cognition, or vice versa, has not been clear, the study team writes in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Research process

In the study the team followed 2,520 adults for eight years, testing their vision and cognitive status every other year. Over the course of the study, average visual decline was roughly equivalent to losing the ability to read one line of an eye chart.

If you’re aging without good vision, not only are you giving your brain less stimulation, you might be altering your brain at a structural level”, commented for Reuters lead author D. Diane Zheng of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

She recommended that older adults get regular eye checkups, and have any vision symptoms checked out and treated promptly.