Brava

January 2013

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live in good health Find Your Focus When it comes to age-related vision changes, it can be hard to know when to see the doctor and when you need a pair of cheaters. To help you decide, Dr. Joseph Anderson, an opthamologist at Anderson & Shapiro Eye Care, offers eye-opening tips Wear and tear. Optometrists call it presbyopia, which refers to the weakening of the focusing mechanism in the eyes. According to Dr. Anderson, the first signs pop up around age 40-45 when people find themselves unable to read fine print or see things clearly up close. Symptoms continue to worsen until around age 65 when eyesight levels out. Let���s get physical. Without correction, presbyopia can cause a condition called asthenopia, which is big term for a host of smaller but nagging symptoms including fatigue, pain in and around the eyes, blurred vision, headaches, dizziness and double vision. Hip to be chic. Say the word bifocals and granny���s glasses come to mind. But today���s readers come in an array of fun colors and trendy styles. The choice between cheaters from the local drugstore and prescription eyewear comes down to personal preference. Dr. Anderson recommends cheaters for contact lens wearers or those who don���t already wear glasses for other vision problems, and bifocals when glasses must correct other vision issues, too. Pick your script. Cheaters range in power from +1.00 to +3.00 magnification. To pick the right script, Dr. Anderson offers some simple guidelines: If you���re around 40 years old, the recommended power is +1.00. From age 43 to 47, it���s approximately +1.50, while from age 48-53 a power +2.00 works best. Test the strength by reading small print. If you have to adjust how the text is held, your lenses may be too strong or too weak. Doctor, doctor. While you can buy cheaters without a prescription, get a vision test to make sure nothing else is wrong. Glaucoma, cataracts, eye pressure changes and other eye diseases also pop up as people age. Early detection and treatment are critical in preventing further vision loss. Cheaters, starting at $29; Anderson & Shapiro Eye Care, 1200 John Q. Hammons Dr., Madison; be2020.com. 12 BRAVA Magazine January 2013

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