by Nancy D. Miller, President
New York Vision Rehabilitation Association
How common is it for seniors to have diminished vision as they age? Trouble focusing up close, a need for more light, discomfort with glare, a harder time distinguishing similar colors, "floaters" and taking longer to adjust to moving between dark and light. these are normal changes as you age. However, more than 20 % of seniors experience eye diseases that effect not only seeing but with functioning independently at home, at work or in the community.
It is essential for seniors to have an eye exam including having your eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) dilate your pupils to examine the back of the eye for changes. Your eye doctor will test your eyes for glaucoma, a problem with the pressure in the eye, and look for signs of changes due to diabetes or macular degeneration. Your eye doctor may also detect the growth of cataracts that in most cases can be removed safely. You may be bumping into objects, squinting, having difficulty recognizing faces, spilling or missing food on your plate. If you notice that your vision is changing it is critical that you see an eye specialist as soon as possible. Unfortunately, many seniors neglect this important step and unnecessarily lose vision to treatable eye diseases.
Once the eye specialist has diagnosed and treated any eye disease, what happens next can influence how long you remain at home, in familiar surroundings, and living independently.
Have you heard of vision rehabilitation services? Most seniors say they have not and vision rehabilitation services are largely underutilized. If you have difficulty seeing or can see hardly at all (partial sight, low vision or legal blindness), vision rehabilitation services help you learn new ways to do the things you have always done. People with moderate to severe vision loss work, take care of the house, shop, cook, babysit grandchildren, mow the lawn, wash the car.in fact seniors with vision loss can do almost everything that a fully sighted senior can do. It does take time to learn the specialized techniques and adapted equipment and to adjust to this new "you." Thousands of seniors in New York State have been successful and you can be too.
New York State that provide vision rehabilitation services. Although generally vision rehabilitation services are not covered by Medicaid and Medicare, the agencies offer free or low cost services that are paid for through the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, other government funding, foundation grants, demonstration projects, Lions Clubs or other sources. Some services may be familiar to you such as meeting with a social worker to talk about your situation and adjust to the changes in your vision. Other services may not be familiar such as learning to get around safely using a prescribed cane with a certified orientation and mobility specialist; learning to cook, clean or mark your medications with a certified vision rehabilitation therapist, or using specially fitted and prescribed optical aids from a low vision eye specialist. Independence is just a phone call away.
For more information about the nearest vision rehabilitation agency in your area, call the New York State Office For the Aging Hotline 1-800-342-9871.
