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Healthy Vision Month
Tips for Older People to Maintain Visual Abilities
May 2, 2005 - Are you like many senior citizens
having a harder time reading small print, navigating dimly lit hallways,
or attending public gatherings? Age-related vision loss could be the
cause. May is Healthy Vision Month and the American Foundation for the
Blind offers these strategies and devices that may help older people
with vision loss to maintain their independence and quality of life.
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Encourage eye examinations. Make sure your friends and family are
examined by an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor who specializes in eye
diseases.
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Reduce glare and use contrast. Replace lamps with high wattage or three
way bulbs to avoid glare. Place dark colored items against lighter
background for clearer distinction.
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Eliminate Hazards. Keep furniture in the same place at all times, and
remove objects that present a tripping hazard, such as throw rugs and
low tables.
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Update the environment. Replace standard everyday household items, such
as playing cards, wall clocks, and kitchen timers, with large print or
tactile versions.
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Use magnification. Handheld magnifiers can help people read small print
on items such as prescription bottles. Mirrors with 5X and 10X
magnification allow people with vision loss to see their reflection
clearly so they can maintain their appearance independently.
An estimated 6.5 million Americans age 55 and older
are blind or severely visually impaired. That's about one in 10 older
Americans. One in three people age 85 and older has some degree of
vision loss. By making some simple adjustments, such as the ones listed
above, you can help a person with vision loss preserve their
independence.
AFB recently opened The National Center on
Age-Related Vision Loss in Dallas, Texas, to educate people with vision
loss and their families on how they can maintain their quality of life.
For more information on AFB and the Center, or to find resources in your
local area visit:
http://www.afb.org, call toll free at 800-AFB-LINE (800-232-5463),
or email
afbinfo@afb.net.
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)-- the
organization to which Helen Keller devoted her life -- is a national
nonprofit whose mission is to eliminate the inequities faced by the 10
million Americans who are blind or visually impaired.
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