As far as good health is concerned my life has truly been a “crystal stair”. I haven’t had a headache in over 40 years. I have walked over 30,000 miles during my life. So what is my gripe now that I am the ripe old age of “fifty”. My eyes were beginning to show signs of aging. For me an avid reader that is a scary thing. 

I have had to purchase so many sets of  reading glasses because I am not accustomed to using them therefore I tear them up quickly. Thankfully reading glasses are inexpensive. This new experience with the aging eye has caused me to seek not treatment but a cure. 

I learned that the most common vision change due to age is presbyopia. This condition occurs between the ages of 40 and 50. Presbyopia is the lost of elasticity in the lens which makes it more difficult to focus vision up close for reading. 

The aging eye also looses sensitivity affecting color perception and contrast sensitivity. It may become harder to distinguish where an object ends and the background begins. The aging eye also needs more light because the pupil gets smaller. It needs more light to adjust to changing levels of illumination. 

The aging eye suffers from four common diseases: macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. It is essential that the average person have their eyes examined regularly by an ophthalmologist or optometrist to maintain eye health and for early detection of eye disease. 

My research however led me to the realization of what was causing my vision problem. My problem was not so much caused by the aging eye as it was from a vitamin deficiency. I started a diet on my fiftieth birthday. I am now almost the size I was in law school. I am close to regaining the body I once had which was akin to that of the average male model 5’10 (165lbs.) The dark side of it all was my decision to stop taking my multi vitamin to decrease my appetite resulted in impairment to my vision. Once I made the connection I started taking my vitamins again and now I can see like an eagle. 

Medical experts will tell you that in underdeveloped countries, inadequate nutrition is the main cause of blindness. Vitamins are necessary to keep our body and eyes healthy. The most essential vitamins for eye health are vitamins “A” “C” and “E”. I have started taking my multi vitamin just before bedtime and that keeps my appetite in check. So for now bye bye reading glasses and hello: multi vitamins, carrots, orange juice and broccoli.

In the words of my dad, “If these gas prices get any higher I am going to buy me a horse!”