Software Helps Aging Eyes Operate Cell Phones

These days, a cell phone is a requisite for functioning in society, but for people with aging eyes, operating them can be difficult. Presbyopia and cataracts can make reading the tiny screen on the phone difficult. Even after cataract surgery, people with monofocal IOLs can still have difficulty reading the screen Now, a small British start-up has developed a solution that can help people with diminished vision to read and operate their cell phones. Although newer smartphones solve this problem with larger screens, many people in the target demographic prefer to use their older phones because they use them mostly for routine tasks.

The solution is called C-CallerID, software that identifies common callers with an easily-readable graphic, either a one or two-letter abbreviation or a visual icon that can be selected from the company's database. The software was originally developed as an app by the company's founder. His wife was having trouble using her phone after cataract surgery and complained about having to fumble for her glasses or ask friends to read her phone for her. The company unveiled the software this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It's available for use on many brands of mobile phones, including Motorola, Nokia, Sony, Samsung, and LG. It is currently being advertised for use in Britain, and may also be available in other areas.

Although age can dramatically impact the quality of your vision, it doesn't have to impact the quality of your life. To learn more about coping with declining vision, please contact an ophthalmologist to learn more about vision solutions.

Carbohydrate Consumption and Cataract Risk

We have long heard that a diet high in carbohydrates may be associated with a number of serious health conditions. Now research adds cataracts to that already-long list. Although the possible connection between carbohydrates and cataracts has been public knowledge for about five years, the weight of evidence has been split on the significance of the association.

In 2005, the US Department of Agriculture first put out its warning that a diet rich in carbohydrates could as much as double a woman's risk of developing cataracts. The USDA based its warning on a small study that looked at cataract diagnosis and carbohydrate consumption in 417 women aged 53 to 73. The study found that women who consumed a diet rich in carbohydrates (200-268 grams per day) were more than twice as likely to develop cataracts those who consumed a diet lower in carbohydrates (101-185 grams per day).

However, another study, published earlier the same year, looked at approximately 72,000 women and 40,000 men, showed did not seem to be a link between glycemic load and cataract risk.. study participants were followed for about 14 years (women) and 12 years (men). The study looked at subjects' dietary glycemic load, the elevated glucose levels in a person's blood that occurs primarily as a result of refined carbohydrate consumption. The study administrators adjusted for age, smoking, body mass index, and other factors before seeming to exclude a glycemic load/cataract risk tie. This study has been criticized as having excluded too many factors (including total calorie consumption and other dietary factors) and therefore conflated its results.

Since 2005, two other studies have added support to a connection between high levels of carbohydrate consumption and increased cataract risk. A 2006 study looked at the diets of 3377 participants aged 60-80 and sought a connection with cataract risk. The study analyzed glycemic loads of the participants and gauged this against cataract diagnosis. It found that those in the highest quartile of glycemic load were 1.29-1.43 times more likely to be diagnosed with two types of cataracts compared to those in the lowest quartile. A more recent study, following up on the results of the 2006 study, looked at the diet and cataract risks of 1609 subjects. The results seemed to indicate that one type of cataract was 3.19 times more likely in the highest quartile of carbohydrate consumption than in the lowest. Unfortunately, as with previous studies, there is a possibility that missing data on confounding factors could be obscuring the existence or nonexistence of a connection.

There are many reasons to consider shifting to a diet lower in carbohydrates. To learn whether cataracts are one of them, please contact a local ophthalmologist today.

Reading Speeds Tell Us about Adaptation to Multifocal IOLs

One of the most interesting things about the multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) used in cataract surgery and presbyopia surgery is how the brain learns to select the proper image from among the multiple images these lenses cast on the retina.

Multifocal lenses allow you to see objects at different distances by having a number of focus zones, each dedicated to a particular task, some focusing on close objects, others on far objects, and often balanced for both bright and low-light conditions. Although this solution ensures that for most objects there will always be a focal zone that focuses light from the object you're looking at onto the retina. However, it also means that there will be a number of unfocused images of the same object on the retina at the same time. Your mind just learns to sort them out, the sort of visual trick it already does every day, although not everyone adapts well to the new visual system. One question people have about the process is "How long does it take for the brain to adapt?"

Recent research suggest that it may take 18 months or longer for the brain to fully adjust to using the lenses. Although people get full visual acuity (on average 20/40 vision) by 6 months after surgery, it does not mean that their eyes and brains are fully adapted at this point. Instead, it seems that their eyes are continuing to adjust. A recent study looking at 25 patients who received either the Tecnis or Acrysof ReSTOR at 6, 12, and 18 months after bilateral implantation of the IOLs. The study looked at visual acuity and reading time. Although visual acuity showed no significant deviation over the follow-up period, reading speed continued to increase over the entire follow-up period, which indicated to researchers that patients' brains were continuing to adapt to the novel visual system over the entire study period.

If you are considering a multifocal IOL for correction of presbyopia or during cataract surgery, you should talk about the adaptation period for IOLs with your ophthalmologist. Please call or email us today to contact a local ophthalmologist experienced in cataract surgery.

Older Drivers and Their Eyesight

Study results regarding older drivers were recently published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. The Salisbury Eye Evaluation and Driving Study (SEEDS) was conducted by scientists affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and looked at the vision, cognition and general health of licensed drivers aged 67 – 87.

There are over 30 million drivers in the U.S. aged 65 and over, which is also the fastest growing group of all licensed drivers in the country. As drivers age, their cognitive and visual function decreases impacting driving ability. The SEEDS research shows that a decrease in vision function is a key factor in an older driver's decision to restrict or discontinue driving. The most common conditions that bring about that decision include:

• Slow visual scanning
  
• Reaction time and attention
  
• Decreased ability to discern distances
  
• Contrast sensitivity loss (commonly associated with cataracts)
  

Each of these skills is necessary to help drivers to be aware of and appropriately respond to other vehicles, road conditions and road signs. Not associated with a decision to limit driving was a loss of visual field, commonly associated with glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration.

The study noted that women were four times more likely than men to stop or restrict their driving. Those who prefer to be driven were also four times more likely to self-limit driving than those who like to drive.

Self monitoring and regulation by aging drivers are essential ingredients in ensuring their safety and the safety of those with whom they share the road. The results of this study show that aging drivers are more apt to respond to some conditions than others, which might recommend increased education about the effect of visual field loss on the ability to drive.

Please contact the LASIK Directory today to find an experienced ophthalmologist in your area.

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