Serene Karplus, Nederland. Swirling golden disks tickled our ears in the gentle rustle of mountain breezes. Smooth waxy leaves cooled our fingertips and paved our path with yellow, orange, and multi-hued dots. Rich and deep, the unfathomable ethereal blue above breathed its hue into our souls.

We hear, hold, and smell the leaves and revel in the thin, clear mountain air and warm sun of these last days of summer touching fall. But no sense, no words, no photo captures the untouchable, infinite blue of a Colorado sky over autumn aspens – except sight.     “What if we couldn’t see all this?” our companion asked. No description, no human effort could capture the sky to share with someone without sight. Even our photos will not serve us if we lose our sight. We lock in the memory of what we see and feel under that sky to hold forever; we must remember it with the very depths of our being.     Vision is a most precious sense. Losing it is a frightening proposition. But we all face risks of vision loss at any age.

Accidents, injuries, and genetic concerns always loom.  Signing the waivers for Lasik and radial keratotomy procedures, we acknowledge that a surgeon’s error may blind us.

Cataracts, which are protein deposits that have clouded our vision, may be evident by blurred vision, reduced night vision, problems with glare, frequent eyeglass prescription changes, impaired depth perception, and color distortion.  When cataracts interfere with daily activities, we may require surgery to remove the clouded lens and replace it with a new, artificial one.     Three million Americans face glaucoma, in which imbalanced fluid production and drainage increases pressure in the eyeball and can cause damage to the optic nerve, the retina, or other parts of the eye. Glaucoma is a silent thief; there are usually no symptoms in the early stages. As the disease progresses, people with glaucoma may notice their side (peripheral) vision failing. By this time, the disease is usually quite advanced and the damage is irreversible. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) occurs when light-sensing cells in the macula break down, threatening the sight of 1.7 million Americans. It is the leading cause of vision loss in Americans over the age of 65. The disease is painless, and common symptoms include blurry vision, distorted vision (such as seeing straight lines as crooked or wavy), or a dark, empty area appearing in the center of vision.

The macula is the central part of the retina and is responsible for clear, sharp vision, so that impairment affects reading and driving (which can translate to loss of mobility and independence for many mountain folks). AMD rarely causes complete blindness, but often leads to irreversible loss of central vision.      Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new cases of blindness (about 8,000 cases per year), in which vessels at the back of the eye swell or leak or new abnormal vessels grow, possibly causing detachment of the retina.

Nearly half of all people with diabetes eventually develop some degree of this disease that displays no early warning signs. More advanced cases may be signaled by floaters, blurred vision, eye pain, or gradual vision loss.     The leading causes of irreversible blindness tend to come on silently, without pain or other symptoms in the earliest stages. The later an eye problem is diagnosed, the harder it becomes to treat. In some cases, any vision that has slipped away may be gone forever.      Toddlers through age 5 should be screened for common childhood problems such as crossed eye, lazy eye, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. From puberty to age 39, obtain an ophthalmologist check-up if experiencing any eye problems or visual changes such as pain, floaters, flashes of light, blurry vision, or eye injury. People over the age of 40 are encouraged to seek a full eye exam at least every two to four years and those over age 65 should be checked every one to two years, regardless of evidence of symptoms.     EyeCare America-National Eye Care Project, a program of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, provides free or low-cost eye exams.

People who are 65 or older, U.S. citizens, not in a health maintenance organization, not receiving care through the armed forces or Department of Veterans Affairs, and who haven't seen an ophthalmologist in the last three years may be eligible. Register online at eyecareamerica.org or call 877-887-6327.

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Learn about Ensight Skills Center’s work with the Colorado Lions clubs to serve those with vision-related difficulty with activities of daily living (reading, cooking, personal care, seeing faces). Penn Street will present an overview of their services on Wednesday, October 1, at the Nederland Area Seniors luncheon. Register for lunch (see below) or visit at 12:30 for the presentation only.

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Everyone is invited to the Nederland Area Seniors luncheon at the Nederland Community Center at noon. A donation of $4 is requested from those over 60 years of age and $8.25 all others, but no seniors are turned away due to inability to pay. Please make reservations by 4 p.m. Friday for Monday lunch and 4 p.m. Monday for Wednesday lunch at 303-258-0799.

Monday, September 29: Manicotti w Sausage/Peppers, Green Beans, Garlic Bread, Apple

Wednesday, October 1: Chef Salad w Turkey/Ham/Cheese, Hearty Bean Soup, Bread Sticks, Banana