Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

EYE EXAMINATION Schedule Your Top 5 Eye Diseases In The Senior Community Cataracts: Clouding of the eye’s lens, leading to blurred vision, glare, difficulty with color perception, and night vision issues. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): Degeneration of the macula, which impairs central vision (reading, recognizing faces). Includes both dry and wet forms. Glaucoma: A group of diseases damaging the optic nerve, often via increased intraocular pressure; peripheral vision is lost first, often painlessly. Diabetic Retinopathy: Damage to the retina from diabetes-related blood vessel changes; can cause floaters, blurred vision, and vision loss Presbyopia & Dry Eye Presbyopia: The age- related stiffening of the eye’s lens, causing difficulty focusing on close objects (very common after age 40). Dry Eye Syndrome: Tear production declines with age, affecting up to 70% of older adults—leads to irritation and visual discomfort. Top 5 Adaptations A Person Can Do In Their Home If They Have Low Vision Enhance Lighting: Use bright, uniform lighting throughout the home - aim for 60-100 W (or equivalent LED) bulbs and consistent illumination to reduce glare and shadows. Install task lighting and motion‑activated or night lights in key areas: kitchens, bathrooms, stairs, and hallways. The Pinecone | August 2025 • 5 • Increase Color & Contrast: Use high-contrast color schemes: dark furniture against light walls or vice versa, colorful tape on light switches, doorframes, stairs, and outlets to distinguish them easily. Contrast in daily objects: using white plates for dark food, colored mugs for drinks, cutting boards with contrasting sides, etc. Remove Hazards & Improve Navigation: Declutter and open up walkways, push chairs under tables, and tape down or remove rugs to eliminate trip risks Mark edges of stairs and steps with bright, contrasting tape or paint to help with depth perception and reduce falls Labels & Tactile Features: Use large-print labels and color-coded systems for drawers, cabinets, toiletries, and appliance controls so items can be identified more easily by sight. Include tactile cues like bump-dots or textured stickers on buttons, dials, or appliance controls for those with minimal or no vision Assistive Tech & Voice Controls: Smart home devices—voice assistants (Alexa, Siri), automatic lighting, talking thermostats—can reduce reliance on sight for routine tasks Low-vision aids like illuminated handheld magnifiers, magnifying domes, glasses-mounted telescopes, electronic readers, and accessibility apps can help with reading and recognizing objects or text Occupational Therapy & LowVision Occupational therapy (OT) plays an essential role in vision rehabilitation—with a strong focus on maximizing existing vision, adapting environments, and empowering individuals to live safely and independently. They create individual plans of care to assess and treat a person’s unique low vision needs to maximize their functional ability within their home. If you are having trouble with your vision in any way, please contact the Broad River Rehab Team for guidance.