EYE DID IT AGAIN

Because I'm home most days, I give my right eye a break and take my prosthetic eye out. Some times several days at a time. About three months ago I went to Target for the first time in months. Later that day I had plans for the evening and while getting ready I looked in the mirror, oh no, my fake eye was out. This was the first time in almost 18 years of wearing a fake eye. Thankfully I only talked to one person which was the pharmacy tech. Yesterday my husband and I went to Kroger which was very busy. When we were home realized I had done it again. Out in public with only one eye. 

FLASHLIGHTS

Flashlights have helped me so much from walking the dog at night to finding things I've dropped. I've bought so many over the years as my vision changed. I've left the house and realized my shoes are black when my dress is blue or wore black socks with blue shoes and pants. My brother bought a great flashlight for my dad who bought the same one to give my siblings. it's a NEBO Slyde King #6434. My other flashlight is a LiteAll by Promier. I went to Academy Sports and asked the salesperson for the brightest flashlight in stock without being too expensive or heavy. They have four sizes: one small enough for my purse at $15, a small one for my son at $10, a medium one for home at $40, and a large which I didn't buy at $60. Most flashlights are LED which doesn't mean they're bright enough for someone with low vision. Go by the Lumen size to pick what is right for you. I have a 300 and a 320 Lumen. 

Nebo #6434 

Slyde King 

330 Lumen  

LED flashlight/Worklight, 

LitezAll 

Promier

330 Lumen

NEW BEGINNINGS

As you can see I haven't posted anything in almost three years. The main reason is my computer died and it was nine months before I had a new one. I've a new iPad and new phone but these devices are too small for me to post from. I even have a new card to give out so others can get information about living with low vision. The one lesson I've learned is my vision and eye health could be much worse. 

Please check out and follow my new Instagram, Facebook, and Blog.

LEFT AND RIGHT EARPHONE

I've used headphone everyday for about 15 year but I just recently noticed a neat trick. I listen to books on tape every night, most of the time I've cut off all the light before putting them in my ear. I noticed a nub or dot on only one earphone. I turned the light on and noticed it was the left ear. Well I only listen on one side....the left. How cool is this. I use the type in the picture. Not all sets have this identifying "dot". For someone with poor vision I'm always looking for things to make life easier by using my sense of touch instead of relying on my vision.

CELL PHONE UNDATED FROM SAMSUNG

I can NOT stand the Note 3 update!!!!! The font is smaller and the colors are hard on your eyes. They're marketing to a young demographic like Apple did last year. Look at the difference. This is very hard to see.

My Easy Mode Screen

My New Note 3 Updates 

Screen as of March 29, 2015

BUTTERBALL TURKEY BREAST AND COOKING FOR THE HOILDAYS

 I thought I would re-port my Butterball Turkey Breast since I can't mess this up. A few weeks ago my husband came home to find a smokey kitchen and a pan of burnt ground beef. I got sidetracked trying to find a battery for my timer.  My lesson, never leave the kitchen while cooking. I didn't hear the meat cooking but I did hear the BUZZ of the smoke detector. I wish I would have taken a picture of the pan. As they say it was priceless. I think I'll let my husband cook from now on.

I don't cook much at all but one thing I like to cook is Butterball turkey breast. I've served them to my family for about eight years. I remember buying the breast with bone in and it was more than I wanted to deal with. Most of the time I pull the netting off and cook it frozen. Yesterday I cooked it thawed with the netting which stuck to the skin. I thought this isn't good for us with low vision so I called Butterball and they were very helpful. The woman I talked to said she cooks this often. She suggested pulling the netting away from the thawed meat to it won't stick and putting oil and seasoning on it. I'm going to try that method next time. The way I roast it is with olive oil and Shapley's seasoning with is a local seasoning from Mississippi. This is an affordable meal at $10 for the turkey. I've listed their instructions below with their contact information. 

 Thaw in Refrigerator (not at room temperature)

• Place unopened roast on a tray in refrigerator for 1 1/2 to 2 days, or until thawed.
• To thaw more quickly, place unopened roast in cold tap water for 3 to 5 hours. Change water every 30 minutes to keep turkey cold.
• When thawed, keep in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Prepare Roast

• Remove clear plastic netting and package. Refrigerate gravy packet until ready to use. Leave string netting on roast. Drain juices and lightly pat with paper towels.
• Lift string netting and shift position on roast to make removal easier after cooking.
• Cover roast with no-stick cooking spray. Additional basting is not necessary.

Visit our How-to section to learn the best methods for cooking your turkey.

Slow-Cooker Instructions:

• Place THAWED roast, skin side up, flat in 8” diameter slow-cooker.
• Add 1/2 cup water.
• Cover, cook on low 7-1/2 hours to internal temperature of 170 degrees as measured with a meat thermometer.
• After 4 hours, check temperature at center, ends and near top for food safety. Turkey must reach 140 degrees within 4 hours.

Microwave:

• Place THAWED roast in microwave on a shallow microwave-safe tray.

• Microwave at 30% power for 30 minutes, turn roast over. Microwave an additional 20 – 30 minutes on 30% power.

• Remove from oven, wrap in foil, let stand 10 minutes.

• Check for doneness with a meat thermometer. Temperature in center of roast should be 165 – 170 degrees. If roast is not done, continue cooking on 30% power checking temperature every 5 minutes.

• Remove netting and slice.

NOTE: Microwave ovens can vary due to wattage, age and line voltage. Time can also vary due to initial temperature of product, size and shape of product, standing time. It is important to test for doneness using a meat thermometer.

1-800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372)
Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST (Central Standard Time)

GLARE CONTROL

I have to wear sunglasses even on sunny days. Read below about protecting your vision with outdoors.

 

Photophobia or extreme sensitivity to light and glare can be a severe problem for many low vision patients. Many eye diseases create intraocular light scatter that can significantly reduce effective vision. The eyes become hypersensitive to what the normal eye sees only as moderate glare. The shorter wavelength, high-energy part of the visible spectrum dominates daylight and is a contributor to glare. Glare can be a problem both indoors and outdoors.

Patients complain of intense light sensitivity and hazy vision. Visual function is impaired by glare and loss of contrast. To effectively improve a person’s vision, problems with glare need to be addressed when glasses or other low vision ads are prescribed. Special tints will also increase contrast sense which will also increase visual acuity.

There are a large variety of tints or filters with varying degrees of light transmission and contrast enhancement. The glasses can be pre-made to be worn alone or over the patient's current eyeglasses. They can also be custom-made with the patients prescription. Wellness Protection Eyewear, Polaroid lenses, Corning Glare Control Lenses, Drivewear lenses, ultra-violet (UV) coatings, anti-reflective coatings and pinhole contact lenses will all help a patient become more comfortable both indoors and outdoors. Light sensitive patient should also consider wearing frames with side shields along with hats and visors.

During your eye examination, your ViewFinder Eye Doctor will evaluate your glare sensitivity in different situations and prescribe the appropriate tint to maximize your vision and increase your comfort.

From Viewfinder

http://www.viewfinderlowvision.com/index.php?page=glare-control

EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR VISION

Healthy eating also helps your eyes. With so many diabetics with eye problems it's essential to live a healthy lifestyle.

Easy Ways to Improve Your Visionfrom Stealth Health

They are two of your most precious possessions, but chances are, you take your eyes for granted. Most of us do. But think for a second what life would be like without being able to gaze on your grandchild or your flower garden or even navigate the kitchen without incident.


http://www.rd.com/health/eye-health-easy-ways-to-improve-your-vision/
Prevent Blindness America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to vision issues, estimates that 50,000 people lose their sight needlessly every year and that 80 million Americans are at risk of eye diseases that can lead to low vision and even blindness.
The good news: The most common diseases — age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), cataracts, glaucoma, and dry eye disease — are all preventable to some extent. Read on to see (pun intended) how you can get Stealth Healthy protection for your peepers. Before we go any further, we have to tell you that the first step, if you smoke, is to stop. Smoking increases your risk of cataracts, glaucoma, dry eyes, and age-related macular degeneration.
1. Mix a cup of blueberries with a cup of yogurt for breakfast this morning. Blueberries are one of the richest fruit forms of antioxidants, and a study published in The Archives of Ophthalmology found that women and men who ate the greatest amount of fruit were the least likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the leading cause of blindness in older people.
2. Spread bilberry jam on your morning toast. Or take a bilberry supplement every morning. The berries contain compounds called anthocyanosides, which may protect the retina against macular degeneration.
3. Have spinach twice a week. Could be a spinach quiche, steamed spinach, or maybe Tuscan spinach — sautéed in some olive oil with garlic and raisins. Regardless, be sure to get your spinach. Studies find that lutein, a nutrient that is particularly abundant in spinach, may prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Ideally, get your lutein in combination with some form of fat (olive oil works great) for the best absorption.
4. Cook with red onions, not yellow. Red onions contain far more quercetin, an antioxidant that is thought to protect against cataracts.
5. Aim your car vents at your feet — not your eyes. Dry, air-conditioned air will suck the moisture out of eyes like a sponge. Aim the vents in your car away from your eyes, or wear sunglasses as a shield. Dry eyes can be more than an inconvenience; serious dryness can lead to corneal abrasions and even blindness if left untreated.
6. Move your computer screen to just below eye level. Your eyes will close slightly when you’re staring at the computer, minimizing fluid evaporation and the risk of dry eye syndrome, says John Sheppard, M.D., who directs the ophthalmology residency program at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia.
7. Take a multivitamin every day. Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. A major study suggested that if every American at risk for age-related macular degeneration took daily supplements of antioxidant vitamins and zinc, more than 300,000 people could avoid ARMD-associated vision loss over the next five years. Other studies find that women who took vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years were 77 percent less likely to show initial signs of cataracts than those who took no supplemental C. So take a multi with at least 150 mg vitamin C, or take a separate C supplement.
8. Walk at least four times a week. Some evidence suggests that regular exercise can reduce the intraocular pressure, or IOP, in people with glaucoma. In one study, glaucoma patients who walked briskly four times per week for 40 minutes lowered their IOP enough so they could stop taking medication for their condition. It’s also possible — although there’s no proof yet — that walking could also reduce your overall risk of developing glaucoma.
9. Eat fish twice a week. A study from Harvard researchers presented at the 2003 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s annual meeting evaluated the diets of 32,470 women and found those who ate the least amount of fish (thus getting the least amount of omega-3 fatty acids) had the highest risk of dry eye syndrome. Even tuna fish (yes, the kind that comes in a can) protected against the syndrome. If you can’t stand fish, or are worried about mercury consumption, try fish-oil supplements to get your omega-3s.
10. Twice a week, walk away from greasy or sweet snacks. A 2001 study found that people whose diets were high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 fatty acids (found in many fat-filled snack foods like commercially prepared pie, cake, cookies, and potato chips) were significantly less likely to develop ARMD than those whose diets were high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, if your diet was high in omega-6 at all — even if you still ate plenty of fish — the protective effects of the omega-3 fatty acids disappeared.
11. Have sweet potatoes for dinner tonight. Since they are rich in vitamin A, these sweet spuds can help improve your night vision.
12. Turn down the heat in your house. Heat dries out the air, which, in turn, dries out your eyes. In the winter, you might also try adding some humidity with a humidifier or even bunching a lot of plants together in the room in which you spend the most time.

MY OCULARIST TAL COX HELPING OTHERS

Yesterday my husband and is drove to Alpharetta, Georgia to TAL Cox my ocularist. Tal has help other like me feel and look more normal by fitting us with prosthetic artificial eyes.  Learn about a girl in Honduras.


http://youtu.be/v4sqAT6AmWk

AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

 

The American Printing House for the Blind is a great resource. The have produces for sale until September 30, 2014.

http://www.aph.org/products/sizzle.html