When Will I See You Again?

This past weekend I attended my 10 year (x3) high school reunion that proved to be a great time. Four hours of reminiscing, catching up, and laughing with former classmates was quite entertaining for one optician surrounded by a generation of presbyopes in denial. It was a social gathering where I probably could have used some optometry reinforcement since it was obvious some of my peers were struggling with different focal lengths.

Cell phones were being passed around and full length arm extensions were in motion in hopes to see each others' small pictures of proud moments more clearly. As I continued to make my way around the wide open room I noticed a pair of OTC readers being shared by both sexes looking at a yearbook from when we were high school seniors.

Had I gone to school with a bunch of dishonest kids? How can they keep telling each other it's so great to see you when they can't even read each others name tags?

A longtime friend chuckles as he introduces me to his wife, letting her know that I am in the “eye business” while on his face are her readers. His explanation of getting by without wearing his own corrective lenses sounds all too familiar to me. I briefly mention how much better his life could be with full time crisp, clear vision. His clients would probably even take him more seriously. Being dependent on his wife to share her readers is an area I could help him in unless he just likes the idea of being a cross dresser. I wonder why so many well educated professionals with short arms syndrome are “eye business” ignorant? 

Suddenly it hit me. 

ECPs need to take presbyopia and break it down to an elementary lesson.

Dick and Jane are friends.
Dick has a book.
See Dick read the book.
No way.
Dick sees spots.
Oh wait, that's Jane's dog.
Or is that Jane?

(Fast forward)
Dick grows up to be an optometrist. Jane is almost 40 years old and works as a tailor. She currently wears glasses and has been having some vision problems at work especially when she has to thread a needle. Dick writes her a prescription and tells her she has presbyopia. Presbyopia is a vision condition in which the crystalline lens of your eye loses its flexibility, which makes it difficult to focus on close objects. He says presbyopia is a fact of life and not just his way of getting back at her for playing tricks on him when they were kids. There's no avoiding presbyopia since it's a natural part of the aging process of the eyes. Dick calls it the gray hair of the eyes. Jane will need corrective lenses if she wants to be able to focus on the important things in life. 

Presbyopia Lens Options (options are not one size fits all presbyopes):
separate pairs of single vision eyeglasses (distance, intermediate, reading)
lined bifocals
lined trifocals
progressive lenses
monovision contact lenses
multifocal contact lenses
distance contact lenses with reading glasses
magnifiers
monovision lasik surgery
multifocal IOL
electronic eyeglasses
arm extensions
nothing at all

With the options available today Jane decides not to go another day without corrective lenses that help her to see near, far and in between. 

You Go Jane.

The story goes on to get better.

Dick and Jane are more than friends.
They got married.
They had a baby girl.
Her name is Cece.
Cece had her first eye exam before she was a year old.
Time flies when you can see.
Cece is now in the first grade.
She wears cute little eyeglasses that she likes a lot.
She picked them out herself.
Dick and Jane are smart parents.
They know that 80% of what Cece will learn in school is through her eyes.
They do not want Cece to grow up dumb.

Most parents will encourage (some demand) their children to wear their eyeglasses as prescribed if the parents are aware of the direct correlation between vision and learning.

Why then do some presbyopes neglect taking care of their own visual needs?

Maybe it's because presbyopia is a fancy way of saying “old eyes.” Patients don't want to hear old and their name in the same sentence. The way they handle the onset of presbyopia depends on the teacher. These forty something year olds are usually grasping for ways to turn back time.

Many will color their hair to get rid of the old. There are those that will purchase hair to replace those old missing strands. Some will spend large amounts of money on cosmetic surgery to avoid old. The more it can lift, tuck and suck out the old the more they want it. There are those that refuse to feel old so they will practice dressing in a more youthful way. Some believe that the vehicle they drive says something about age.

And in the “eye business” we are hearing:
I can take my glasses off and read just fine.
Can I get some sort of surgery so I won't ever have to wear glasses or contacts?
I can get by for now, maybe I'll get a pair of glasses next year.
I know he wrote a prescription but I don't think I need them.
If I get glasses I know I won't ever wear them. 
I made the font larger on my cell phone so I'm good.
I'm not paying that much for glasses and contact lenses are out of the question.
The only time I have trouble is when I have to read.

As an ECP you know it's not easy to teach presbyopes that are in denial. Let them do their own homework. They'll come around. It may even take their kids teaching them a lesson. If presbyopes don't want to see for themselves then maybe they will do it for the loved ones in their lives.

Presbyopia may interfere with one's vanity. When it starts to interfere with one's quality of life, reading, safety, job performance...etc. 
That's when I'll see you again.