A Swedish study shows six out of ten 70-year olds overestimate how well they can see, remaining content with their eyesight even when it deteriorates.  

The study, published in Acta Ophthalmologica, found 61.5% of the participating seniors were able to see considerably better after getting glasses or changing the power of their current lenses.  

“Above all, it was reduced contrast sensitivity that made people think their sight was poor. Impaired visual acuity or visual field defects had less of an impact on how they perceived their own eyesight,” said co-author of the study, Professor Madeleine Zetterberg of the University of Gothenburg. 

The study covered 1,200 participants who answered an ocular morbidity questionnaire on how they perceived their eyesight and thought their everyday lives were affected by vision problems.