Eye Care Because I Care

Due to the current economic downturn I worry that senior citizens on fixed incomes could start to neglect their health in order to save money. In fact I even caught myself questioning whether I really needed to go back to the doctor for a recheck blood test he recommended. Yes, I made the appointment and went. Our aging parents’ health (and our own) is just too important and not a place to cut corners in order to save money! Please be certain your Golden Oldies are not putting off necessary doctors visits or laboratory tests, now or ever.

I recently read about a program that can insure our aging parents’ eye health is not neglected. EyeCare America offers a year-round program for U.S. citizens called the Seniors EyeCare Program. It is designed for people ages 65 and older who have not seen an ophthalmologist in three or more years. Eligible patients are matched with a nearby volunteer ophthalmologist, receive a comprehensive medical eye examination and up to one year of care for any disease diagnosed during the initial visit for FREE.

The participating ophthalmologists have agreed to accept Medicare and/or other insurance reimbursement as payment in full, resulting in no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Seniors without insurance receive care at no charge. It can’t get any better than that!

By age 65, one in three Americans has some form of vision impairing eye disease. Most do not know it because there are often no warning symptoms or they assume that poor sight is a natural part of growing older. By detecting and treating eye disease early through annual, dilated eye exams, seniors can preserve their sight.

To see if your aging parents qualify for this eye care program, call 1-800-222-EYES (3937), or read more about it at EyeCareAmerica.org. The organization also offers programs for glaucoma, diabetes and children’s eye disease detection. Their site is definitely worth a look see.

**********

And while we’re on the subject of eyes . . . . Lions Club International has been collecting glasses for nearly 80 years. Adult and especially children’s eyeglasses are needed. Prescription and nonprescription glasses and sunglassses are gathered from their many donation centers and sent to one of the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers here in the U.S. (there are 17 centers worldwide). Volunteers help clean and sort the glasses before shipping them to developing countries, where they are given to those in need.

So if you’re hanging on to old eyeglasses you no longer can use, go to the Lions Club web site or call the club in your area to find a list of donation centers where you can drop off or mail your old eyeglasses. Helping to improve someone’s eyesight is a simple yet wonderful thing to do!

**********

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

~ Marcel Proust

**********

These items caught my eye in the “Hints from Heloise” newspaper column and I am pleased to share them with you. Thanks, Heloise!

No related posts.