ESSAY | HEALTH
Old, Tired Eyes
When a reader has to face reality
I’ve been a ferocious reader since I can remember. I always devoured books, magazines, and any other reading material I could access. But lately, reality has smacked me hard in the face — my eyes are old and tired.
I remember when my mother asked me to purchase her large-print books. She was in her mid-fifties like I am now. She, too, had always been a reader but had found small print difficult to read. It caused her headaches from the eye strain, even with bifocals. This is now my harsh reality. Funny how I never thought I would become so much like my mother. And yet, here I am.
The last visit to an ophthalmologist confirmed what I have suspected for a while — I have age-related macular degeneration (AMG). And it will only get worse. It probably doesn’t help that I have been diabetic since childhood. I should feel fortunate that my eyesight has lasted as well as it has.
Since the visit, I have tried to ignore the doctor’s advice — don’t spend more than an hour online or reading at a time and take long breaks in between. This is bad news for a reader. It is indeed bad news for a writer and publisher as well. Instead, I have been spending two hours at a time, taking an hour’s break, and then going back at it for another couple of hours…
