HEALTH & WELLNESS S P E C I A L S E C T I O N
• Challenge Yourself – Enjoy crossword
puzzles or painting? Keep your brain
challenged by doing something new
each day, whether it is learning a new
language, doing a jigsaw puzzle or
reading a book!
Eye and Ear Health
Hearing and vision are two essential parts
of our everyday lives. Yet there are many
individuals who let ear and eye problems
go unattended. Ear and eye health is equally
as important as taking care of the rest of
the body and should be well maintained to
ensure many years of seeing and hearing the
things you love.
Eye Health
It is important to visit your eye
care professional once a year for a
comprehensive eye exam. Although you
may think you are seeing fine, issues may be
lurking without any warning signs. During
a yearly visit, your pupils will be dilated, or
widened, so that your eye care professional
can examine the back of the eye for damage
or disease. It is important to know your
family’s eye health history as well, since
some conditions are hereditary. Some of
the most common eye diseases include
diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts,
and age-related macular degeneration
(AMD).
• Diabetic Retinopathy: This type 1 or
type 2 diabetes complication is caused by
damage to blood vessels in the retina, the
light-sensitive tissues in the back of the
eye. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy
could cause blindness. Early stages of this
condition may go unnoticed if an eye
care professional is not visited yearly. As
the condition progresses, symptoms may
include blurred vision, impaired color
vision, floaters, and/or dark areas in your
vision. Symptoms may occur if there is
too much sugar in your blood, which can
cause a blockage in the blood vessels that
lead to the retina. Proper management of
diabetes is the best way to prevent vision
loss.
• Glaucoma: The second leading cause
of blindness, glaucoma is a group of
diseases that damage the eye’s optic
nerve. The risk of developing glaucoma
increases with age and if parents or
siblings have the disease. During an
eye exam, glaucoma can be detected by
SPONSORED CONTENT
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
measuring eye pressure, inspecting the
drainage angle of the eye, evaluating
the health of the optic nerve and
testing the visual field of each eye.
Depending on the type and severity of
the disease, glaucoma can be treated
through eye drops, medication or
surgery.
• Cataracts: A cataract affects vision by
clouding the lens of the eye. Chances of
cataracts increase greatly with age, with
more than half of all Americans either
having a cataract or having had cataract
surgery by the age of 80. People in
their 40s and 50s can have cataracts,
but they are typically small and do not
affect vision. Cataracts are detected by
blurred vision, faded colors, glare from
headlights or lamps, poor night vision,
double vision, or frequent prescription
changes in eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Early detection can improve cataracts
through new eyeglasses, anti-glare
sunglasses or brighter lighting. Surgery
can also be done to remove the cloudy
lens and replace it with an artificial
lens.
Continued on page 21 >
SPONSORED CONTENT
Eartique — The Last Stop You’ll
Make in Successful Hearing Aid Use
A
hearing loss affects every aspect of
your life, but it can also be easy to
remedy given the proper attention.
Unfortunately, too many hearing aid
wearers don’t receive that attention,
leading to discouragement, frustration
and reluctance to wear their hearing aids.
“It takes more than a good hearing aid
to make a good fitting for a patient,” said
Debra Greenberger, owner of Eartique.
“It takes expertise and listening to your
patient. We listen to our patients and
we have that expertise, as well as a vast
selection of hearing aids.”
People reluctant to wear hearing aids
may not be aware of what’s available with
today’s technology, which has reduced
the size of hearing aids to the point that
they can be imperceivable—even to
Greenberger’s trained eye.
“They are much more cosmetically
appealing now and some deep ear canal
hearing aids that are worn 24/7 can’t be
seen unless you look with magnification,”
she explained. “Most hearing aids are
compatible with iPhones and Android
phones, so you can stream phone
calls, music, podcasts, audiobooks and
customize your hearing experience no
matter where you are.”
What’s more, because most insurance
plans don’t offer much by way of hearing
aid coverage, Eartique has interest-free
financing for one year, and low-interest
plans for longer terms to ensure that
everyone who needs a hearing aid can
afford one.
For more information on Eartique, go
to the website at eartique.com, or call
directly at 412.422.8006. The office is
located at 2703 Murray Avenue, 15217.
WOODLAND HILLS
❘
WINTER 2018
19