Ensuring proper lighting

Increase overall lighting in your home to compensate for your need for more light as you get older. Make sure rooms have uniform lighting from several sources.

• Position lights appropriately

Concentrate light on close work by using adjustable gooseneck lamps and lights underneath kitchen cabinets. The finer your task, the more light you need. Position lights for reading to shine from over your shoulder. Use lampshades that completely shield the bulb so that light is directed up and down, not into your eyes.

• Turn down glare

Replace glaring ceiling fixtures with wall or floor lamps that direct light upward. Choose matte surfaces instead of shiny tabletops and highly polished floors that reflect light into your eyes. Select a nonglossy, off-white paint for walls. This type of surface maximizes light in a room without creating glare.

• Use natural light wisely

Design skylights with light wells that provide reflected light, not direct sunlight. On windows, install blinds that allow you to direct light upward to reflect off the ceiling. This offers uniform illumination and minimizes glare.

Protecting your eyes from the sun

Choose sunglasses that:

• Provide maximum protection from UV light

Long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light increases your chance of cataracts. The greater the blockage of UV light, the lower your risk of damage. Choose lenses that block 99 percent to 100 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) light. Check the label.

• Reduce glare

Choose sunglasses that are dark enough to reduce glare — light that bounces off smooth surfaces such as pavement, water, sand and snow — but not so dark that it’s hard to read traffic signals. Polarized lenses decrease glare, but make sure they also provide maximum UV light protection.

• Fit close to your face

To minimize UV light that can enter from the sides, buy wraparound sunglasses.

• Meet your needs

Sunglasses that meet the above criteria don’t need to be expensive. If you wear glasses for vision problems, ask your eye doctor about transition lenses that protect your eyes by darkening automatically when you’re out in the sun. However, it takes time for the lenses to darken and lighten in different lighting conditions, so make sure these types of lenses meet your needs.

Preventing noise-induced hearing loss

Repeated exposure to loud noise and even a one-time exposure to loud noise can damage the delicate, sound-sensitive hair cells in your inner ear. This type of hearing loss is irreversible but preventable. To protect your hearing:

• Lower the volume on your TV and stereo

Choose personal stereos with an automatic volume limiter.

• Turn down the volume on headphones

By directing sound into your ear, headphones can produce levels loud enough to damage your hearing. Hold your headset an arm’s length away. If you can hear the sound, the volume is probably too high.

• Muffle the sound

Noise can be damaging if you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone an arm’s length away. Wear earplugs or earmuffs when you’re around noisy tools, equipment or firearms. Use commercially made devices that meet federal standards. Make sure the protectors fit snugly. Don’t use cotton earplugs. They’re ineffective and can become lodged in your ear canal.

• Have your hearing tested

If you’re frequently around loud noise, have your hearing checked annually. A hearing test can detect mild hearing loss before the damage is obvious or disabling.

Choosing a hearing aid

You can greatly increase your satisfaction with a hearing aid by following these suggestions:

• Learn about the choices

Hearing aids come in many styles and sizes — from small ones that fit completely in the ear canal to larger ones that fit in or behind the ear. The components can be analog or digital. The disposable “one-size fits-all” hearing aids can’t comfortably fit everyone, so discuss all options with your audiologist.

• List your priorities

When people buy hearing aids, they typically face a trade-off among three factors — cost, performance and size. If you rank those factors, it’ll help you and your audiologist make a selection.

• Find out what meets your needs

Make sure you understand why a specific type of hearing aid is recommended and how it will meet your needs. Don’t assume the latest, most expensive model is best. Practice putting the battery in and taking it out until you can do it easily.

• Buy on a trial basis

A hearing aid should come with a 30- to 60-day trial period and a warranty. Get the terms of the trial period in writing. Also ask how long the warranty lasts — preferably one or two years — what is and isn’t covered, what the return policy is, and what symptom relief. Oral decongestants or anti-allergy nasal sprays may help. Avoid decongestant nasal sprays because they can worsen nasal congestion. Ask your doctor for advice.

• Pinpoint the offender

If medications aren’t effective, a skin test may help identify the substance you’re allergic to (allergen). Tiny amounts of suspected allergens are introduced into the skin by multiple pricks, scratches or injections. Be sure a doctor who specializes in allergic diseases does the test.

• Consider allergy shots

If you have a severe, recurrent allergy, or if allergy medications aren’t working, allergy shots may help to desensitize your system. Begin them at least six months before your allergy season starts.

Soothing minor sore throat pain

To help relieve a sore throat, try the tips below. However, see your doctor if you’re exposed to strep or have any of these signs or symptoms: fever, nausea, vomiting, swollen neck glands, difficulty breathing or swallowing, tonsils with pus, or severe pain that doesn’t improve in a few days.

• Drink lots of liquids

Being well-hydrated helps keep mucus thin and easy to clear.

• Gargle with warm salt water

Mix about a teaspoon of salt with a glass of warm water to soothe and help clear your throat of mucus.

• Suck on lozenges or hard candy, or chew sugar-free gum

These products stimulate secretion of saliva, which bathes and cleanses your throat.

• Consider taking pain relievers

Over-the-counter analgesics such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may temporarily help relieve sore throat pain.

• Rest your voice

If your sore throat involves an inflamed larynx, talking a lot may lead to more irritation and temporary loss of your voice.

• Humidify the air

Adding moisture to the air prevents drying of mucous membranes and the resulting irritation.

• Avoid air pollutants

Don’t smoke. Avoid smoke-filled rooms and fumes from household cleaners or paint.

Battling bad breath

Occasional bad breath is usually due to bacteria, certain foods or a dry mouth. When bad breath doesn’t respond to self-care, ask your dentist to check for gum disease or poor-fitting dental work or see your doctor for a possible medical cause. To fight bad breath:

• Brush and floss after you eat

Good dental hygiene is the best way to prevent odor.

• Brush your tongue

Giving your tongue, including the back of your tongue, a good brushing removes dead cells, bacteria and food debris. Some people may benefit from using a tongue scraper, available at many pharmacies.

• Chew sugar-free gum

The action stimulates flow of saliva to prevent dry mouth and to wash away food particles and bacteria.

• Rinse your mouth with water

Periodically swish your mouth with water to help keep it clean.

• Don’t smoke

Smoking dries out your mouth and causes its own unpleasant mouth odor.

• Cut down on odor-causing foods and beverages

The most likely offenders are garlic, onions, fish, milk, eggs, legumes, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, coffee and alcohol.

• Carry mouthwash or breath mints

Not all mouthwashes fight bacteria, but they disguise bad breath. The strong oils in peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen also cover up odor.

Choosing toothpaste and mouthwash

Use toothpaste that has fluoride, the best defense against decay. Here’s an analysis of some of the claims made by toothpaste and mouth-rinsing products:

• Plaque control

Some products claim to remove plaque or kill bacteria that can cause plaque. But all toothpastes remove some plaque if you brush and floss well.

• Tartar control

Anti-tartar pastes can help prevent a buildup of tartar, but no toothpaste can remove tartar — that takes a professional cleaning. In addition, an anti-tartar paste may increase your teeth’s sensitivity to cold.

• Desensitizing pastes

These products contain chemicals that block pain perception in your teeth. Sensitive teeth may be a sign, however, of a problem that needs treatment, not cover up.

• Baking soda pastes

Baking soda is a mild abrasive and stain remover, but when wet it loses some of its stain-removing power.

• Extra whiteners

Some of these toothpastes contain strong abrasives that may be harsh on delicate gum tissue.

• Mouthwashes

If certified by the American Dental Association as plaque fighters, these products can complement dental care by protecting surfaces you may have missed when brushing and flossing.

EYES AND EARS