Cover story:

Women & Healthy Vision
When it comes to vision, women don't see eye to eye with men. About two-thirds of the 3.4 million visually impaired people and two thirds of the one million blind people in the U.S. are women. And nearly all eye-related diseases and conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma and cataracts, are more prevalent in females. Researchers aren't sure exactly why vision loss is more of a female problem, but some theories point to the tendency for women to live longer and to develop sight-threatening autoimmune diseases. What is known, however, is that 75 percent of eye problems can be prevented or corrected, primarily with lifestyle changes, says Ilene Gipson, PhD, a senior scientist at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Boston. Long-term sun exposure is one of the most prevalent threats to sight. Wind, smoking, airplanes, computers and a poor diet can also contribute. Knowing how to defend your eyes against these threats, both in terms of lifestyle changes and proper eye protection, will help you see more clearly. Full story

Also see:

Eye-Safe Computing UV Protection for Your Eyes: Class 1 or Class 2? Vision and the Elderly Your Eyes and Diabetes

Laser Eye Procedures
If you're sick of wearing glasses or contact lenses, there are numerous sight-correction options available, including implantable contact lenses (aka, "intraocular" contacts), Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) and laser-assisted in-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery. If you're considering one of these procedures, it's not the time to pinch your pennies, notes Brian S. Boxer Wachler, MD, of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Los Angeles. "You need to seek out the best surgeon you can find, who is usually going to be inversely proportional to the price," he says. Full story