Do your eyes age faster than the rest of your body?
The lens of the eye ages noticeably early and quickly, but whether your eyes as a whole age faster than the rest of your body has not been demonstrated. The retina actually reveals a great deal about your overall health, so the two track more closely together than you might think.
The lens of the eye becomes stiffer early in life, and this happens faster in the centre of the lens than at the edges. Around the age of forty, that stiffness has typically advanced to the point where reading up close becomes difficult: the familiar moment when people need reading glasses. This is therefore an age-related change that has been quietly progressing specifically in the lens for decades before anyone notices any inconvenience.
In the retina at the back of the eye, levels of NAD+, a substance that cells need for energy and the repair of DNA damage, decline with age. This is associated with damage to the mitochondria in the eye's cells and plays a role in degenerative eye diseases. Whether this proceeds faster than in other tissues elsewhere in the body is not shown by the available reviews.
At the same time, the eye is also a mirror of the rest of the body. The blood vessels and nerve layer of the retina change measurably with age, and those changes are linked to risks elsewhere: abnormalities in the small blood vessels of the eye are associated with heart attacks and strokes, and the thickness of the retinal nerve layer is linked to diseases such as Alzheimer's. The eye therefore does not age in isolation from the rest of the body, but keeps pace with it to a considerable degree.
People who are biologically ageing faster than their calendar age suggests perform worse on multiple fronts simultaneously, including in the area of vision. But in that research, mobility was the most vulnerable domain, not vision specifically. There is no evidence that the eyes as an organ age systematically faster than the rest of the body. What is true is that the lens of the eye ages in a way that produces noticeable consequences early on, while retinal changes simultaneously reflect a broader health status.
All sources are reviews (no randomised trials or meta-analyses). The associations are largely descriptive or based on correlation, not demonstrated causality.
Do your kidneys age at a different rate than your liver?
The kidneys age measurably faster than the liver, but for most healthy people that decline only has major consequences when dosing medications at an advanced age. If you also have high blood pressure or diabetes, it is wise to have your kidney function checked regularly.
How do I keep my eyes healthy and prevent cataracts or macular degeneration?
Protect your eyes with UV-filtering glasses, a diet rich in vegetables and fruit, good diabetes management and regular eye check-ups. If cataracts have advanced significantly, surgery is the only proven solution.
Do I live longer with more social contact?
More social contact is associated with a longer lifespan, but the effect is far more specific than you might think: the type of contact and your sex make a difference, and quality counts more than quantity.
How do I keep my kidneys healthy as I age?
The two best-supported steps to limit kidney damage as you age are keeping your blood pressure under control and exercising regularly. Moderate salt intake and a healthy weight demonstrably contribute to both.
How do I know whether my fatigue is caused by my thyroid?
Thyroid blood tests can rule out or confirm whether your thyroid is the cause, but a mildly abnormal TSH alone does not explain fatigue and treating it often does not help. In Hashimoto's, symptoms can persist even when your values are normal.
Are screens and low exposure to outdoor light really responsible for the rise in myopia?
Screens are probably not the main culprit; too little time outdoors and academic pressure are better-supported causes. Make sure your child spends sufficient time outside every day, especially at a young age.