Have you turned around twice and ten years have passed?  Are the kids grown and out of the house when it feels like just yesterday that they were born?  It happens all too fast that the time seems to just slip away.  As we age it becomes more important than ever to take care of yourself because the quality of our lives later on will depend on what we do today.

With age often comes wisdom.  What does this mean though?  Aging wisely is taking care of yourself, scheduling your annual and routine doctors’ visits and making sure that you stay as healthy as possible.

September is National Healthy Aging Month and we want to point out some advantages of annual screenings and health visits.  When it comes to your vision there are many diseases that can be slowed down, stopped or even reversed if caught early.  Having routine screenings helps to give a baseline for your doctor to better be able to notice changes in your eyes.

Vision loss is not always noticeable immediately.  Many times an individual can lose a significant amount of vision before it becomes noticeable.  When vision loss is detected early, the person stands a much greater chance of being able to slow down or even prevent their vision loss.

Medical screenings are important too.  Annual physicals, bloodwork and regular cancer screenings can be a pivotal point of identifying a problem and taking the proper steps to treat it.  These screenings also provide peace of mind that you are as healthy as you can be.

Diet and exercise also play in role in healthy aging.  It’s easy to come home from a long day at the office, run through the take out window and grab a quick bite.  Taking time to plan and cook meals on the weekend allows for better eating habits and healthier food all around.

Put regular exercise into your routine that will help shed some unwanted pounds.  Take a walk at lunch or right after work if you can.  As we grow older, gone are the responsibilities of running kids to their various activities.  Make taking care of yourself the priority and put exercise into your calendar.

While we, at Bissell Eye Care, focus on vision and helping our patients to see to the best of their ability, we want to stress that importance of not just routine eye appointments, but all suggested medical appointments and screenings.  Early detection is key to living a long happy life.

About the author: John D. Bissell, owner of Bissell Eye Care and Tri-State Low Vision Services, offers comprehensive eye examinations for the entire family, ocular disease detection and treatment, eye glasses, sun glasses, active wear, contact lenses, and low vision examinations for those with significant vision loss. He has undergone specialized training for treatment of low vision by the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists utilizing customized telescopic eyeglasses, prisms and telescopic implants for patients who qualify. The practice accepts most types of vision and health insurance plans.