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Welcome from Vantage Business Support & Insurance Services
As an added benefit to our customers and associates VANTAGE is publishing a semimonthly newsletter with information, interactive tools, podcasts and other resources to help you live healthier. We will explore topics on total health and resources for you and your family, including fitness, nutrition, mental and physical health, weight management and more.
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6 Ways to Save Your Eyesight
 Your vision changes as you age. Here's what you can do about it
Maybe you're having a hard time reading this article. Or perhaps you have stopped driving at night because you just can't see as well then. Don't worry: Chances are, you're not going blind. But you might be experiencing some age-related eye issues.
Age-related vision changes are common.
Here's a list of the most common symptoms that affect your eyesight as you get older, why they happen, what to do about them - and when to see your eye doctor immediately.
1. Fuzzier small print
Why it happens: As you age, your eye's lens becomes less flexible, which means it has a harder time changing its focal point from far to near. That makes it difficult to focus on close-up objects.
How to Fix it: You know you can get reading glasses or bifocals, but sexier options include bifocal contacts, multifocal contacts, or monovision, where one eye is fitted with a contact lens to see distance and the other eye is fitted with a lens to see close up.
"Monovision is a great option for many, but not everyone's brain accepts it," says Nancy A. Tanchel, M.D., an ophthalmologist and owner of Liberty Laser Eye Center in Tysons Corner, Virginia. You're a good candidate for bifocal, multifocal, or monovision contacts if you're willing to trade off supersharp vision at a distance for better close-up vision.
Red Flag: An abrupt decline in vision could be associated with several conditions, including macular degeneration, a disorder in which central vision is damaged; a vitreous hemorrhage, sometimes from an aneurysm in the eye, often associated with diabetes; or a retinal detachment. "Any abrupt change warrants an immediate evaluation," Tanchel says.
2. Dry eyes
Why it happens: When you're young, your tears have the right components to coat the eye completely. As you get older, your tears may lose their ability to fully lubricate the eye.
"Tears have three layers: a protein layer, a fat layer, and a water layer," says Tanchel. "If any of those layers are not working as well as they should, we call that dry eye."
Nearsightedness increased from 25 percent in the 1970s to 41 percent in the 2000s, partly due to the increased use of computers.
Eyes may feel dry and scratchy, or they may water excessively to compensate for a tear imbalance. Blood pressure medicines, antihistamines, diuretics, hormone replacement therapy, and some antidepressants could be to blame, as could the use of a ceiling fan.
Postmenopausal women also tend to develop meibomian gland dysfunction. The meibomian glands, located in the eyelids, create the oily, fat layer of tears. If that oil is diminished, the patient experiences dry eyes.
"It's pretty common for women past 40 to have dysfunction of the meibomian glands or blepharitis - inflammation of the eyelids," says Jen Galbraith, O.D., an optometrist in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "Another kind of dry eye I see misdiagnosed is lagophthalmos, which happens when the patient doesn't blink completely." These patients often sleep with their eyes cracked slightly open, so the eyes dry out. "It's often missed," says Galbraith, " but easy to treat."
How to Fix it: Experiment with over-the-counter artificial tears. If that doesn't work, consider Restasis, a prescription drop that helps you make your own tears. If your dry eye is caused by medication, switching meds may help. Tetracycline-based antibiotics can also be used to treat dry eyes, says Cory M. Lessner, M.D., medical director and owner of Millennium Laser Eye Center in Sunrise, Florida. A final option is punctal occlusion, which involves placing tiny plugs in the tear duct, so tears drain more slowly.
Red Flag: Sudden dry eyes might signify a damaged tear gland or blocked tear duct, which can be caused by an infection, a tumor, or scarring or swelling from a blow to the eye. Treatments range from massaging the area (your eye doctor can show you how), to a probe procedure that opens the duct, to surgery.
3. Difficulty with night driving
Why it happens: Being nearsighted, farsighted, or astigmatic - having an irregular curve in the cornea that causes blurriness - are the chief reasons you see glare or halos at night, especially around headlights and traffic signals.
How to Fix it: Get your prescription checked. If new glasses don't help, make sure the lens is aligned with the visual center of the eye (to reduce distortion).
Floaters are "nothing more than shadows cast by small strands and bits of protein in the jelly of the eye."
Red Flag: A posterior subcapsular cataract can cause a loss in night vision or bothersome nighttime glare. It's more common in diabetics, people who've been on steroids, and those who have experienced eye trauma. If you can't see well at night, ask your doctor to rule out this type of cataract.
4. A few new floaters
Why it Happens: Floaters are tiny threads or specks floating across your field of vision. "They're nothing more than shadows cast by small strands and bits of protein in the jelly of the eye," says Lessner. As you age, that jelly liquefies and separates from the retina.
How to Fix it: Floaters by themselves are not harmful, and usually no treatment is necessary.
Red Flag: Dozens or hundreds of new floaters can signify a retinal tear or detachment, which can lead to blindness if not corrected immediately. You will likely need surgery that same day to repair the damage.
5. Loss of peripheral vision
Why it happens: Glaucoma, a disease that causes optic nerve damage, has no symptoms until much of the optic nerve is dead. After that, the first symptom is often the loss of peripheral vision.
How to Fix it: Once an optic nerve fiber dies, there is no way to bring it back. "The goal of glaucoma treatment is to prevent the loss of additional nerve fibers," says Galbraith. Glaucoma is actually a family of diseases, so treatment will depend on the type and may include medication or surgery.
Red Flag: Because glaucoma has no symptoms until it is fairly advanced, don't neglect a glaucoma screening at your next eye exam.
6. Diminished color vision
Why it happens: Blame it again on the lens, which gets cloudy with age (a clouded lens is a cataract). "A lot of people don't realize it because it's a gradual process. Things may turn more yellow or brown than they really are," says Brian Bonanni, M.D., medical director of Gotham Lasik Vision in New York City.
How to Fix it: A surgeon can remove the cataract and replace it with a permanent, plastic lens. Cataracts are typically repaired one eye at a time, several weeks apart, to allow the surgical eye to heal. If you're not ready for surgery but notice a color change, your doctor may suggest yellow-tinted glasses, which can help brighten your surroundings.
Red Flag: If left untreated, cataracts can lead to blindness, so see your doctor.
SOURCE: Jennifer Nelson |
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DID YOU KNOW???
Coconut Water
 Coconut water is the liquid found inside of coconuts, and this water is actually derived from young Thai coconuts before the liquid develops into the flesh of the coconut. This water can offer many great health benefits that can improve a person's life in various ways. Some of these health benefits include:
Hydration
Drinking coconut water can replenish the fluids in your body, and it provides essential nutrients that are not available in regular water. In fact, coconut water can be a better option compared to popular sports drinks, because it helps to restore the electrolytes in the body without the added sugar and chemicals that are found in sports drinks.
Metabolism Booster
Coconut water is naturally fat free and low in calories and it also boosts your metabolism. These benefits make it a great supplement to use during weight loss and it may help you get rid of those pesky pounds when it is combined with other healthy habits.
Lower Blood Pressure
Coconut water has a low amount of sodium and a high amount of potassium, which is the perfect combination to reduce blood pressure levels. In addition to drinking coconut water, you should also eat other natural, whole foods for maximum health benefits.
Disease Prevention
Coconut water has anti-viral properties and drinking it on a regular basis helps to fight off infections and illness. In fact, some health specialists have suggested that coconut water helps to boost the immune system in addition to treating any current health condition, which means that it can prevent future illnesses.
Toxin Remover
Toxins build up in our body every day as a result of normal body processes and the environment that we live in. Drinking coconut water can help the body to get rid of those toxins quickly and efficiently.
Soothes Burns
If you have been burned, either by a hot object or a sun burn, then coconut water can be applied directly to the burn in order to heal and soothe the skin. Additionally, it can help to heal internal burns in the esophagus that may be caused by acid reflux.
Oxygen Levels
High levels of oxygen in the body are important to optimal functioning of the major organs. Coconut water helps to carry oxygen and nutrition to the cells, which keeps all areas of the body functioning well.
SOURCE: HealthDiaries.com |
Here's your "QuoteAction" for this issue:
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming."
Poet, Novelist and Scientist, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Your action for today is to offer encouragement to someone who is currently struggling.
Have an extraordinary day!
SOURCE: Betty Jo Waxman
Productive Learning & Leisure, LLC |
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Disclaimer of Liability
Our firm provides the information in this e-newsletter for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation. Tax articles in this e-newsletter are not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The information is provided "as is," with no assurance or guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.
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