(NAPSI)—People with low vision have blind spots that can make it difficult or impossible to drive, read or see faces. These impairments cannot be corrected by surgery or glasses. What’s more, too many are blind to the realization that much can be done to improve their quality of life.

What Can Be Done

In fact, low vision rehabilitation services help people make the most of the vision they have. The first step is to get an eye exam by an ophthalmologist, a physician who specializes in medical and surgical eye care.

Who Can Help

An ophthalmologist can determine the full extent of vision loss and exact location of blind spots. Either the ophthalmologist or a low vision specialist can then determine the best techniques and devices that can help you get around your individual challenges.

Where EyeCare America Comes In

If you’re concerned about the cost of the exam, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeCare America program may be able to help. This national public service program provides eye care through volunteer ophthalmologists for eligible seniors 65 and older; and those at increased risk for eye disease. As one EyeCare America patient said, “I’m a senior living on a low income. It had been 30 years since I’d had an eye exam. It was a true blessing to receive this service.”

Low Vision Services Offer Hope

The field of vision rehabilitation has advanced significantly over the years, offering more effective technologies and strategies. Today, ophthalmologists’ solutions range from simple, portable video magnifiers to enlarge text and objects to high-tech glasses with cameras that let people read text and see faces.

In addition, there are many simple changes people can make on their own to help them live better:

• Improve contrast. Contrasting colors can make it easier to accomplish household tasks and improve safety. Put dark place mats under white place settings, get area rugs that are a contrasting color with the floor and kitchen towels and cutting boards that contrast with the counter top. Use contrasting colored tape along the edges of rugs, stair steps and lamp shades.
• Improve lighting. Every year, about three million older Americans are treated for injuries from falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these falls are caused by low vision. Add lighting to staircases and dark hallways. Remove rugs from hallways to prevent tripping. Task lighting in the kitchen can make food preparation safer and easier.
• Reduce clutter and organize. A cluttered house is more difficult to navigate and can contribute to falls and frustration. When each item has a specific place and is identified with a high-contrast label, it’s easier to locate items needed for everyday living.
• Embrace technology. Books on tape and personal voice-activated assistants, such as Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa, can be enormously helpful for people who can no longer see well enough to read, dial a phone or set a thermostat. With a simple voice command, these can phone dial a friend for you while the thermostat dials up the heat.

While there isn’t one strategy or tool that works for every person, vision rehabilitation offers hope for many and can help people stay in their homes and continue doing the things they love.

Learn More

For more facts and tips, visit www.eyecareamerica.org. To see if you or someone you care for is eligible for the EyeCare America program, visit www.aao.org/eyecareamerica.

(NAPSI)—“The Tutor” by Marilee Albert.

Alice wants to be close to her boyfriend in Paris, so off she goes—to Rome. Her other goals? To make art and find a muse. Instead, she finds herself a muse to various men: a TV-host dwarf, lonely banker, alcoholic playboy, aging prince, and the disillusioned Oscar-winning film director, Frank Colucci.

Although at opposite poles of life with little in common—the bright but broke Alice is just getting started and has few prospects, and the married-with-kids Oscar-winner Frank bored and disillusioned—the two form a bond.

Will this be an older, powerful man using his position to seduce a confused young woman, or something else entirely? And will Alice ever find her way?

From Rare Bird Books. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2lBy5LH.

“As Long As It’s Perfect” by Lisa Tognola

To Janie Margolis, “assistant contractor” sounds like the ideal job for a mom whose role raising kids has become routine-but her perfect plan starts to unravel when she and her husband find themselves arguing about everything. Then the economy collapses, and it’s hard to surmount the reality ahead: They are about to sink their savings into rebuilding a new house they can’t afford while trying to sell the one they own. Will Janie find herself homeless before she finds herself a home?

From crushes on contractors to frenzied shopping expeditions to a con artist kitchen designer and workers who fight like schoolgirls, Janie navigates the pitfalls of building all while struggling to stay out of debt and keep her marriage going.

From She Writes Press. To purchase: https://amzn.to/2lKT7ao.

“Killing Pat Garrett” by David G. Thomas

Pat Garrett, the Wild West’s most famous lawman, the man who killed Billy the Kid, was himself killed on a barren stretch of road near Las Cruces, NM. Who killed him? Was it murder? Was it self-defense?

“Killing Pat Garrett” is a different kind of whodunit, not put together from the imagination of a fiction writer. It is a meticulously researched work that considers all sides and presents all evidence in remarkable detail, drawing on new, previously undiscovered information.

This is a ride through the life of a famous Wild West figure, brought to life in actual conversation and documentation.

From Doc45 Publishing. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2lEkkM6.

“Best of No Small Thing: A Mindful Approach to Gratitude” by Deborah Hawkins

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”

The author, using Eckhart Tolle’s words as inspiration, has put together a collection of her 50 favorite blog posts, with the hope that they will allow gratitude and mindfulness to elevate the way you see the world and yourself.

Observing events and people in her life to identify the good already present became a regular, almost automatic habit. These moments needed to be charged with emotion in order to have the greatest impact, and she started wrapping stories around them. A companion guide book is also available.

Purchase at http://bit.ly/34A1gzK.

• BookBites is a continuing series bringing readers information and ideas for their next read. For more reading ideas, visit BookTrib.com and subscribe to the weekly newsletter.

(NAPSI)—It could be said that everything Troy Amdahl learned to love he learned in kindergarten. No kidding. He met Kristen, his wife of 29 years, at age five, remained friends, took her to the senior prom, married and raised four children.

Recently, Amdahl had a post on his Facebook page go virile for an act of kindness for his wife that he never, in his wildest dreams, could have imagined.

Amdahl, along with Dave Braun, is one of the OolaGuys, and has co-authored several international bestselling Oola books on finding the proper work-life balance. With a simple message, “Live the life you deserve,” they recently published their newest collaboration, “Oola for Christians: Find Balance and Grow.”

A self-avowed “Christmas curmudgeon,” for decades Amdahl approached the holiday season with a debate: when to put up the Christmas tree. Kristen, on the other hand, loves Christmas and everything about it—decorating the house, gatherings with their large family, making homemade gifts, the Hallmark movies and, most importantly, the meaning of the season. Yet, through it all, Troy tried to rein in the holiday cheer.

For all of Amdahl’s lessons as the Oola guy, he was about to walk the talk.

The couple had recently moved out of their home while renovations were being completed. That’s when the idea hit him. He thought about how he wanted to try to give back some of the joy and happiness to this woman who has been by his side for his whole life.

Unbeknownst to Kristen, Amdahl put a call in to their decorators to fully decorate two stunning trees: one “blank canvas” for the many family ornaments the kids had made over the years, and another Pinterest-worthy tree to surprise his wife as she walked in the door.

He never expected the response he got when they returned to their home on Halloween. Their son was there to capture the magical moment when his mom saw the first tree and cried tears of joy. When she saw the “other” tree, she lost it. Jumping up and down and crying.

“Why did I put these restrictions around when, what and how,” mused Amdahl, “when enjoying Christmas early gave my wife such joy?”

“Love well the people who love and support you,” Amdahl says. “Invest in their dreams, even if they are different from your own.” By his wife’s reaction, he continues, “My only disappointment is that I didn’t do this years ago. Heck, if it makes someone I love this much this happy, it can stay up all year as far as I’m concerned.”

You can purchase “Oola for Christians: Find Balance and Grow” at https://amzn.to/2K3sbMx.

• BookBites is a continuing series bringing readers information and ideas for their next read. For more reading ideas, visit BookTrib.com and subscribe to the weekly newsletter.

(NAPSI)—“Will it hurt?” is often one of the first questions people ask when told they need a medical procedure.

One problem: the mere thought of pain can intensify its feeling. It’s enough to make some people put off medical care—including minor dental surgery.

Doctors and dentists understand. They’re healers by nature and don’t want to inflict pain on their patients if they can help it.

Fortunately, dental pain management has come a long way in the past century. Novocain was formulated in 1905. And when highly effective painkillers such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and acetaminophen with codeine became available, dental surgeons began prescribing them for pain relief from wisdom tooth extraction and similar procedures.

“Today, we know the danger that comes with opioids—and that absolutely anyone can become addicted,” says Gregory Theis, DDS. Dr. Theis is director of dental services for Delta Dental of Wisconsin, the state’s largest dental plan.

“Tragically, that includes teens and young adults who were first introduced to opioid painkillers with a legitimate prescription, often following wisdom tooth extraction,” he adds.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 45% of initial opioid exposure is linked to a dental procedure such as wisdom tooth removal or other oral surgery. For some, that exposure can lead to a lifetime of dependency and drug misuse.

A large study by Stanford University School of Medicine found that 6.8% of young people who got an initial opioid prescription from their dentists sought additional prescriptions for opioids after filling their first one. Just 12 months later, 5.8% of those individuals were diagnosed with opioid abuse. Among a comparable control group, only 0.4% of young people who didn’t receive an opioid prescription were diagnosed with opioid abuse during the same period.

With a greater understanding of opioid dangers, dentists and their professional organizations such as the American Dental Association (ADA) are acting to combat abuse and limit unnecessary prescriptions.

Their campaigns are working. From 2012 to 2017, U.S. dentists have reduced their opioid prescriptions by nearly half a million.

“Educating dentists, our customers, and our members on the dangers of opioid abuse is a top priority right now,” says Dr. Theis. “We’re teaching people that over-the-counter painkillers like naproxen and ibuprofen can be very effective for dental pain management.”

What if you’re terrified of experiencing any pain—and your dentist says you need your wisdom teeth removed? According to Dr. Theis, that’s one procedure you may be able to delay—or avoid entirely.

Dentists once routinely extracted wisdom teeth: the third molars that usually emerge between ages 17 and 24. But that practice is changing.

“Unless the wisdom teeth cause problems with the jaw or other teeth, or they become infected and are painful, patients may be able to delay the procedure a few years, until the teeth break through the gums,” explains Dr. Theis.

When the molars emerge from the gums, removal is often far less complicated and less painful. That means general anesthesia and strong painkillers can often be avoided.

And sometimes, he adds, you can just let those wisdom teeth erupt and function like other teeth. Or you may be one of the lucky 22% of the population who never develop wisdom teeth at all.

If you ever do need dental surgery, be your own wellness advocate—ask for pain relief alternatives to opioids. If you must take them, use precautions:

• Take only the prescribed dose or less.
• Beware of side effects with other medications.
• Stop taking painkillers as soon as possible.
• Safely dispose of leftover medications.

(NAPSI)—ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impairing levels of inattention, disorganization, and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. For people with ADHD, these behaviors are more severe, occur more often, and interfere with or reduce the quality of how they function socially, at school, or in a job.

Does your child with ADHD struggle in the morning?

Does your child with ADHD barely complete basic daily tasks, such as getting dressed, brushing teeth or simply eating breakfast? If so, you are not alone. In a survey of 200 parents with children diagnosed with ADHD, more than 90 percent felt that ADHD symptoms negatively impacted their early morning routine.

For families with children affected by ADHD, the early morning routine is challenging at best, chaotic at worst. Problems can impact every member of the family and set a negative tone for the rest the day. Dr. Ann Childress, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Inc. has many patients—and families—who struggle every morning simply to get out the door. Here are some of the most common questions she receives from these families—and her responses.

Why does my child with ADHD have so much difficulty in the morning?

The early morning routine can be especially challenging for people with ADHD. Getting ready for the day requires ongoing focus and depends upon our ability to remember and manage multi-step information, a capacity psychologists call working memory. Both children and adults with ADHD struggle with deficits in focus and/or working memory.

Getting ready for the day also requires us to finish many complex activities in a short time, such as completing a hygiene routine, making and eating breakfast, or packing a backpack, all before the school bus pulls up or the car pool arrives. Research shows that, when compared with typical peers, people with ADHD find it harder to gauge the passage of time—and thus find it more difficult to complete these early morning activities on time.

My child takes medication for ADHD that usually works. Why are mornings still so hard?

For individuals who rely on a stimulant medication to help them during the day, the early morning can still represent an ADHD blind spot. What does this mean? Most stimulant medications are taken in the morning with breakfast and they may take some time to work (anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours).6 Thus ADHD patients will not necessarily experience the benefits of ordinary stimulant medication in the early morning hours, making the morning routine one of the most difficult parts of the day for the patient-and for his or her loved ones.

My entire family has been negatively affected by one member’s early morning ADHD symptoms. What can I do to help?

Parents and caregivers can use behavioral strategies to improve specific behaviors that may prevent children from getting ready in the morning. Tactics to help children complete morning activities may include the following, either alone or in combination:

• Setting multiple alarms to encourage timely completion of different tasks
• Using behavior charts and incentive programs
• Creating and using sequencing charts to outline the steps of critical activities
• Utilizing checklists.

Some families choose to alter how they administer stimulant medications. In these cases, one parent or caregiver will wake and dose the child in the wee hours, approximately two hours prior to the family’s usual wakeup time. Next, the parent will encourage the child to go back to sleep, hoping the medication will take effect before breakfast.7 However, this routine often proves disruptive for both parent and child, both of whom may have difficulty returning to sleep.?

If you think ADHD has an impact on your mornings, consider taking a quiz at theADHDmorningquiz.com. The interactive quiz helps identify ADHD symptoms that make the morning routine a challenge. You’ll also be given access to a Doctor Discussion Guide to help start the conversation about mornings with ADHD.

Tips for Managing ADHD in the Morning

• Be a morning realist. Setting unrealistic goals can set you up for failure. Being realistic about the early morning routine and adding a little more time to get things done will benefit the entire family.
• Alarms aren’t just for waking up. Set ‘as you go’ alarms to make sure you’re not running overtime on each task. Remember to be practical about how long things may take.

Talking to Your Doctor

Once you’ve made the appointment with your doctor, start writing down what you want to discuss about your mornings with ADHD. Here are some suggestions from the Doctor Discussion Guide that you’ll find when you take theADHDmorningquiz.com:

• Describe any challenges during the early morning routine.
• How do these difficulties affect the rest of the day?
• What specific ADHD symptoms are a problem in the early morning?
• What actions have you taken to try to make mornings go more smoothly? How have those helped (if at all)?
• Would it be helpful to have an ADHD medication that works when you wake up?

To learn more about morning challenges with ADHD, please visit www.adhdmorning.com.