If we were sitting across the table from each other and I asked you to list your major health concerns, the odds are high that vision loss would be pretty far down on your list. In fact, if you're like most people, it wouldn't even be on your list. Problems like being overweight, having joint pain or arthritis, and/or the fear of developing cancer, heart disease, or diabetes would probably be near the top.
Vision loss, however, is the elephant in the room that everyone seems to be ignoring. Over the last decade, vision loss and blindness have rapidly become two of the most common problems among those over age 40. If you've dodged the bullet so far, you're lucky – but I wouldn't keep depending on luck. It's time you to give some serious consideration to your eyes and how you can protect them.
Originally published in Alternatives, Vol. 14, No. 8, August 2011. Used with permission.