Aging and failing eyesight
My eyes are dim, I cannot see
I have not brought my specs with me
I have noooooootttt brought myyyyyyy specs with me.
Do you remember this campfire song? It was one of my favourites.
While I singing it, I always imagined an ancient man peering through his glasses. After all, only really old people need glasses. I’d be at least 80 before I ever needed them.
Uh-huh.
Then I turned 40 and found myself doing the page adjust. That’s when you push a piece of paper away from your face, and then pull it back in until you can see it.
Next came struggles in dim lighting. Cozy restaurants are the worst for this. I could get Mr Very Right to read the menu on the Quebec side of the border by using the I don’t understand the French line. But there were no excuses on the Ontario side. I do understand English.
And finally, fine print. One squiggly blurring mess.
There was no fighting it any longer; it was time for glasses.
I took my daughter with me to pick them out, and I actually like them. I think they are sexy. But since they live in my purse, there are times when I am too lazy to go get them, and I’m left squinty and guessing at the print.
On those occassions, my eyes are dim, I cannot see.
What happens to our eyesight was we age?
Between the age of 40 to 50, the eye lens starts to harden. Our lens needs to change shape in order to focus. This ability is becomes restricted as we get older.
This hardening of the lens is caused presbyopia.
Can we prevent presbyopia?
No, sorry, it’s a fact of life. Presbyopia is not an eye disease, rather it is a normal aging process. Just like wrinkles, it’s going to happen no matter what.
What can we do to make it easier to see?
Well, reading glasses is the obvious answer. And in the beginning, you can even pick them up relatively cheaply at the drug store. You will eventually need a proper eye exam to determine the right prescription.
Laser surgery will temporarily fix presbyopia, but studies have found that this is only a temporary solution. Your eyesight will continue to diminish over time.
You can also keep you eyes healthy by
- controlling chronic conditions like diabetes
- protecting your eyes from the sun
- preventing eye injury by using protective glasses
- eating lots of fruits and leafy green vegetables
- using good lighting
Should we get our eyes checked even if we suspect it’s presbyopia?
Yes, because the symptoms you are experiencing may actually be an eye disease, such as:
- cataracts
- glaucoma
- macular degeneration
These diseases can lead to permanent loss of vision and need to identified and treated early.
Like I said, I love my glasses. And if I’m seeing anything related to the rest of the campfire song, it’s not due to failing eyesight.
There’s a bear, bear, in his underwear
In the store, in the store …
Your turn:
- My eyesight pet peeve is fine print on pill bottles. What’s yours?
- Those of you with glasses, did you opt for reading glasses that you take off and put on as needed, or glasses you wear all the time?
Suggested reading:
Pet peeve — Ingredients on labels — I hate pulling out my reading glasses while shopping for groceries. I look OK in glasses, so I’m not bummed about wearing them full time when the time comes.
@Lori – fortunately, it’s Mr Very Right who does the shopping in our household
LOL at your last campfire song. I have the same challenge. Don’t carry my glasses with me all the time and it’s a bit embarrassing if I go out for coffee and can’t read the menu behind the counter. I usually just order a regular coffee. My biggest pet peeve is finding a comfortable position on the couch when I want to lay down and watch tv. The darn glasses get in the way. I need new glasses and have been procrastinating shopping for them… Ugh.
@Davina – it’s the verse to the song. Each person makes up a rhyme about what they see in the store. I should do a post on childhood songs. I don’t need glasses for any distance, including watching TV. I’m glad I don’t need glasses full time. Mr Very Right is continually cleaning his. I do find even reading a book lying on the couch awkward with glasses. It’s tricky to get the right head to book angle.
sorry, I have been on the train, but wanted to get here to respond to this good post. I have worn glasses since age 6 due to a baseball injury to my eye…at school
I wear contacts and glasses all the time and have to change my tri-focals for computer glasses when working there.
I wanted to share a new problem which happens to about 20 percent of women after menopause and I have it! I am still working on getting the name correct…there is a filmy tissue that coats the back of the eye and for me that has become wrinkled in a few spots – and interferes with my balance a bit….they do not know why it happens and how to get rid of it but it comes and goes. It is not related to diet, more so with exercise, posture, and balance issues….(think plastic food wrap getting stuck to itself and how to untangle it)
I am not reading so much right now to see if that helps….and believing that this will go away and using the Wii fit balance exercises to keep my posture and balance working well…all seems to be helping.
I also can not go outside with out sunglasses, even on a rainy day…and that is helping a great deal….I have a glare coating on my glasses too…I have included my left eye in my daily affirmations and healing meditations and I am sure I am getting improvement.
I also take a usable eye vitamin – vit C and that is certainly making a difference.
I think the syndrome starts with a G…..I left a call at the Dr office to get the name spelled out for me…it is so new….but my Dr. thinks this is why so many women of a certain age start to loose their balance as your eyes are so crucial for balance and stability. FYI
@Patricia – protecting our eyes from the sun is very important. There is a lot of emphasis on wearing sun screen, but not as much on wearing sun glasses. When you find out the name of your saran wrapped (smile) eyes, can you please comment again? I’d love to look it up and learn more. Thanks!