| This week, we asked you about your sense of sight — and hearing, taste and smell — and how changes to them have affected your life. Like me, many of you were not ready to admit the need for readers, but happily gave in after you found how dramatically they improved your sight. I'm also not alone in keeping several pairs scattered around the house. Sheila, for example, keeps three pairs around the house, and also stashes readers in her car and purse. You never know when you'll need them. Lynn stocks up on readers, too, because she loves to switch up her look. After all, "variety is the spice of life." She has learned to laugh about the changes that come with aging, and has some great advice for those of us who have struggled to accept them. Read on for that. We also heard from a few folks who were diagnosed with cataracts and then improved their sight through surgery. Paul says "cheaters are a thing of the past. [It's] great to wake up and see perfectly first thing in the morning without having to reach for my glasses." And it's not just our vision that can throw us for a loop. Several of you wrote in to talk about the social challenges of hearing loss. (Have more tips or stories to share? It's not too late! Tell us how your senses have improved or decreased with age here. We may feature it.) Below you'll find a few of our favorite submissions, edited for length and clarity. Learn to laugh about it"My husband and I have found growing older is best faced head-on with a good sense of humor! You have to admit, four adults out to eat dinner passing around one pair of readers (especially my cute pink pair) so we can all read the menu is funny! I love to have multiple pairs of readers and changing my look. My husband has just as much fun buying glasses as I do. It is not just vision — hearing loss, and having to guess what the other person just said, is almost funnier. (Did he really think I just said, "The ducks are going to be early tonight"?) Having watched parents and worked in health care, my advice on aging is laughter. The most well-adjusted seniors I know have a great sense of humor. Also, be kind to each other. It is inevitable that all these changes will occur, but this change also comes with a sense of calm confidence in who we are as older humans. Embrace it with joy." — Lynn, 55 The joys of cheap readersNot answering the question, but sharing a priceless passage from "The Opinionated Knitter" by famous knitwear designer and teacher, the late Elizabeth Zimmerman, after she discovered the joys of cheap, replaceable drugstore reading glasses: "Dozens of pairs [of spectacles] have I bought since the first. I spend no frustrating hours hunting when a pair is mislaid; I just grab the nearest of many other pairs, confident that the lost ones will turn up. They nearly always do." One further advantage, which I found out by pure chance: When you are in a rage, it is most effective to fling your spectacles across the room. They've never broken on me yet, and it stops acrimonious argument in its tracks. — Betty, 66 "The worst part of needing reading glasses is not being able to find them! I buy inexpensive (but stylish!) readers in quantity and keep them in a pretty bowl on the kitchen island. When the bowl is empty, it's time to do a whole-house round-up and start over again." — Elizabeth, 64 Embrace the accessory I wore glasses and contacts from fourth grade until I had radial keratotomy, the precursor to Lasik. But I've been using readers for about seven years and am up to 2.5. I found some cute ones and also some beaded chains so I can easily pop them off and on. One of my friends said the chains would make me look old (as if I'm not), but even she admires my groovy beaded ones. — Cindy, 66 In praise of monovisionI'm 68 and have had trouble reading small print for years. Monovision contact lenses do the trick. People are often amazed that I don't use reading glasses. However, I do have distance glasses that I wear for about an hour each day. The other morning I put the glasses on and panic set in — I couldn't see a thing! When I removed the glasses, I could see perfectly. After a couple of rounds, I discovered I had forgotten to remove my contacts the night before. I've never done that in my life! — Suzanne, 68 The contact on my right eye is corrected for distance, while the left is corrected for reading. No glasses of any sort needed! It took me a few days to adjust, but now it's great. — April, 60 Cataract or Lasik surgery? No problem."Though I've been nearsighted nearly all my life, and have worn glasses since I was 8, I was not ready for the onset of readers/bifocals in my 40s. But I adjusted, stashing numerous pairs everywhere I might need to read. But when I hit 55, an unexpected development led to a miracle: I could no longer see to drive at night and was diagnosed with cataracts. My ophthalmologist opted to go with a monovision procedure, giving me 20/20 vision in my right eye for distance and 20/60 in my left eye for reading. The brain makes the switch imperceptibly, and I no longer need reading glasses. I do wear glasses that give me 20/20 in the left eye while driving, or at the theater or movies. While I felt particularly old when told I had cataracts (especially since that came on the heels of hip-replacement surgery), the procedure greatly improved the quality of my vision and my life." — Paul, 58 "I was not aware of just how diminished my vision had become until it improved. When I had surgery to correct my vision, I noticed a major difference in colors, especially the whiteness of white. Although I will probably need readers, and sunglasses when I go outside, prescription glasses will not be in my future. If I had known how much better I would be able to see, I would have had the surgery sooner." — Beth, 75 "Contrary to many people, I had perfect vision close up and horrid vision for distance. Because I like photography, Nordic skiing and cycling and do search and rescue, I no longer wanted glasses and elected to have Lasik. My ophthalmologist wanted to do the monovision (correct one eye and not the other), and try as he may, he couldn't convince me. I had both eyes corrected and it was the best thing I have ever spent my money on." — Charles, 71 Take advantage of your health savings account"Reading glasses are eligible for reimbursement through my employer's HSA (health-saving account). So, if I have extra money in the account in December, I stock up on them, because you can never have too many!" — Sheila, 56 Making things easier, harder "I have macular degeneration. After 50 years working as a visual artist, at 70, I began writing fiction because I wanted to spend my last years doing something I could get better at. My peculiar eyes can read screens better than paper now. Praise for e-books. I have a BIG monitor. I can work full-screen, sit across the room with a wireless keyboard, and write or read without my glasses." — Henry, 79 "Not being able to see up close has made it much more difficult to put on makeup, which sounds like a small thing, but really is frustrating. To add insult to injury, wearing reading glasses makes your eyes look huge to others and magnifies every line around the eyes. It's just another one of the minor insults of age." — Catherine, 66 It's not just our eyes "The same month I turned 60, I lost the hearing in my left ear overnight. It was disorienting and scary. In the six years since, I've adapted, mostly by wearing specialized hearing aids. They help somewhat, but I miss being able to understand conversations at noisy gatherings like receptions and parties. I used to love these social occasions, but now cut my time short or don't go at all. Often, I must ask for 'repeats' from my soft-spoken granddaughter. I spend considerable money on hearing aid batteries, as they last only about three days. These are small things, comparatively, but my hearing loss has changed my life. My adjustment was immediate: Though I was in shock when it first happened, I very quickly put it in perspective. My sister-in-law had just died of ovarian cancer. Compared with cancer, hearing loss is (almost) nothing." — Ann, 66 "Although I have hearing aids and have had them for several years, I find that the general public is very ignorant about this loss. Many times when attending a public presentation, the speaker will decide he/she doesn't need to use a microphone or if they do hold one, they do not know that they must speak directly into it for it to work. This amounts to being shut out for those with hearing loss. The isolation and tendency to avoid social events are common results. Not all hearing loss is the same, but there are many things that the hearing person can do to assist the impaired: look directly at the person you are speaking to, speak slowly, and if asked to repeat, rephrase rather than saying it exactly as you previously did. Living with hearing loss, I have to make an effort to attend social events that I know are also necessary for a healthy life." — Nancy, 79 "I've worn glasses for most of my life. Over the years I've kept up with styles — intellectual, cool, giant, minimal. The senses that seem to be going first are smell and taste. I cook with big, bold flavors. My husband and I cook a lot of Italian, Asian, Indian and Hispanic foods. I love cooking baby back ribs on the grill with lots of rub and a tangy red sauce. With pulled pork, I'll make a mustard sauce. Too much garlic? Never!" — Suzanne, 72 See you Monday, when Vicky will be back to talk about the burgeoning sober-curious movement — and how to combat the no-booze blues. In the meantime, be sure to forward Bold School to a friend (or three?) and invite them to join us. They can sign up at anytime and start with Lesson 1 the following Monday. |
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