The Joys of Aging

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Getting old is NOT for sissies! I have heard that for years and never really thought about what it meant. I know the older I get the more aches and pains find their way into my body and aggravate me at the most inopportune times.

The most difficult change I have had to deal with thus far is the changes in my eyes. It seems as soon as I turned fifty my eyes developed cataracts. I didn’t know what the problem was but when I complained during my annual eye exam that I was having trouble driving at night because the glare was almost unbearable, the eye doctor told me I had the beginnings of cataracts in both eyes. What?!? Cataracts are for old people. I can’t have them I’m not old enough. Did I do something to bring them on? Is there anything I can do to get rid of them? The eye doctor tells me that everyone eventually gets them if they live long enough. Really? That makes me feel only marginally better. How do I fix them? They are messing up my life.

I have trouble when the cars coming at me have their high beams on, that almost blinds me. I have learned a few tricks for coping with the problem because I refuse to give up driving at night which would mean staying home from many of my group meetings, And I refuse to give those up. In case you are also experiencing similar difficulties, I will share the ways I have learned to cope with my aging eyes.

I try to get where I am going before it gets completely dark, because for some reason getting home is never as difficult as getting there is, not sure why, but getting home is easier.

I have found that if I stay out past ten or so there is less traffic to deal with on the way home and I can often use my high beams if the road is deserted. Using the high beams really helps a lot, but I try to be very conscientious of other drivers who will either be blinded through the rear-view mirror or by coming at me.

Another thing that helps is staying on well lit main roads that I am very familiar with. With enough street lights, driving at night is almost like driving in daylight. It also helps if I keep the lights inside my car as dim as possible.

I wish I had better news about getting older. I will most likely get the surgery at some point but that is probably years off because right now my cataracts are just beginning and not bad enough to warrant surgically fixing them.

More info here: https://www.visivite.com/night-vision-condition.html

What changes have you noticed as your body ages? Care to share them with me? I’d like to be informed rather than surprised by the lovely little changes my body will throw at me.

If you have any suggestions for dealing with aging, please let me know in the comments below or send me a message using the contact form.

This is the first in an ongoing series about the joys of aging. More joys will be shared as I discover them, so be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss them.

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