Community Updates (3/15/25)

Wellness

Planning the Final Chapter: Giving a Life’s Story It’s Perfect Ending 

April 2, 2025 at 11:00 am

VHC Health offers this webinar as a part of its Healthy Aging Lecture series. While legal, cultural, and religious dimensions traditionally guide funerals and burial services, personalized elements are an important part of being remembered and providing comfort to loved ones. Join Kathleen Garces-Foley, professor of Religious Studies at Marymount University, to learn about options to plan a funeral or memorial service from start to finish, including burial alternatives such as green burials and alkaline hydrolysis.  New trends related to celebration of life and themed funerals will also be discussed. Questions? Contact Senior Health at 703-558-6859. Registration required.

The “Eyes” Have It

By Joan M Smith

As we all know, we are prone to various changes in vision as we age. Usually by about age 40, we start to need reading glasses, then later perhaps additional glasses for specific vision such as driving, distance, computer screen. Kevin Loria in the Washington Post (Feb. 18, 2025) highlighted several more common aging vision changes, and the Alliance for Aging Research offered further details of these changes.

We learn that many later-in-life eyesight changes can be treated and even cured, especially when diagnosed early. Thus, annual (minimum) eye exams can keep one on track to discover any dangerous changes in time for effective treatment. One may visit an optometrist for exams, and an ophthalmologist for serious eye disease.

One disease, Age-related Macular Degeneration, or AMD, is a leading cause of vision loss around the world. More than 11 million older Americans suffer from AMD, and your risk triples when you are over 75. It is seen in all demographic groups and locations, but it is helpful to know about who is more at risk, and what treatments can achieve. So let’s dig into the facts.

What is it, and how do I know I might be developing it?

AMD damages the macula, which is an area of the retina (the lining inside your eyeball).  The macula governs what you see when looking straight ahead. There are two types of the disease, dry AMD, and wet AMD. In the more common dry AMD, protein deposits form under the retina and the macula may thin. This can progress to wet AMD where abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina. These vessels can leak and scar the macula, causing partial or total loss of central vision. (The Alliance for Aging Research has some great diagrams of all this on their website: www.agingresearch.org ).

Some risk factors, such as being over 75, and/or having a family history of AMD, are not negotiable! But, other risk factors, including high blood pressure, smoking, high fat diet, being overweight, and lack of exercise are all changeable. Plus, the risks of prolonged exposure to UV (sun) rays, and high stress can be managed.

Early noticeable symptoms can include vision distortions, like blurriness in your central vision. Later symptoms may be straight lines that appear wavy, or difficulty to see details of objects.

What to do?

In addition to an annual eye exam, it is a priority to seek medical care if you notice any vision changes, including the ones noted for AMD. The health provider may see changes that you have not noticed while they are doing a dilated eye exam. Some forms of dry AMD can be treated with daily supplements called AREDS. Also, the FDA has approved two drugs that delay vision loss, pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol, which are injected into the eye. For wet AMD, doctors may use laser surgery or eye injections of anti-VEGF drugs; these drugs dry up and reduce the amount of abnormal blood vessels, which may stop the leaking and bleeding, reducing vision damage (Dr. Joshua Ehrlich, U. Michigan in Ann Arbor).

And Breaking News, on February 20, 2025, the National Eye Institute reported that they are just beginning clinical trials on stem cell transplants for dry-AMD to uncover how genes influence retinal aging and brain health (your eye care provider can contact EyeClinic@nei.gov to see if you qualify).

And, seeking out specialist professionals can be helpful. Working with a “low-vision professional” can help one adapt to vision loss, and learn how to continue having an active, meaningful life with more confidence. Adaptive devices such as high-powered lenses, magnifiers and talking computers, and Alexa and Siri can ease one’s ability to navigate and participate in a full life. Plus, Joining a group, such as ANV’s Low Vision group can lend information, support and helpful insight and guidance, as well as provide a kindred social group that celebrates all they can do, accomplish, and enjoy in this world!