Dear Dr. Hibberd:
I’m 71 years old and don’t need reading glasses. My mother was the same way, but I don’t know anybody else as old as me who doesn’t need glasses. I am unusual?


Answer:
No, it is not unusual if you do not need reading glasses. Many persons who used glasses for distance do away with their glasses as age advances. It is always a good thing to have your eyes checked annually for signs of macular degeneration and glaucoma. Most other conditions (such as retinopathy) are related to underlying disease such as diabetes, and easily noted by a skilled opthamologist on fundoscopic examination coupled with visual field and acuity testing. We have excellent medications and procedures to retard and control these and other vision-robbing conditions that left unchecked may prematurely take our vision away.