Thursday, April 28, 2022

EYES AND AGING

Most of us will need glasses at some point in our lives. Even those of us who have always had good eyesight, usually end up with glasses or contacts. I will never forget the first time I needed glasses. I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area but was working in New York City. I noticed I was standing on one side of the hallway reading the bulletin board on the other side of the hallway. It came to my attention when everyone going down the hall was saying, "Excuse me" to me. I made an appointment with an optometrist in Texas for my next trip home. Imagine my surprise when he told me I needed bifocals. I had always thought of bifocals as glasses for old people who had worn glasses for years. Seeing my surprise, he said, "It's just your age. These things start happening at your age." I was forty!

According to Brandon Butler, an optometrist in NYC, genetics play a part in eyes just like other parts of our bodies. He says the more near - or far -sighted your parents are, the higher your chances of needing glasses but other factors come into play with age. As an example, he says Presbyopia occurs when the eyes' lenses lose the ability to change shape and focus up close. This condition affects around 90% of persons over 45. We all know cataracts occur as we age. Cataract symptoms usually start to appear in our sixties. The good news is that these conditions are easily treated. Tomorrow we will talk about ways we can keep our eyes healthy for many years.

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