Preventing Diabetic Vision Loss

By Marc Gardner/Optician—Crystal Clear Optical

Sadly, there are between 35-40 million people in the U.S. that have diabetes. And another 95 million have prediabetes. Unless diabetes is brought under control, the eyes, along with the entire body, can be very negatively affected.

Diabetes doesn’t change the way our eyes look.

In the early stages, you cannot tell if eyes are affected unless you have a dilated eye exam with an eye doctor. These exams can discover optic nerve damage and abnormal blood vessels. They can also detect swollen lenses inside the eye. Subtle changes in the beginning may be almost unnoticeable by the patient, but an optometrist or ophthalmologist can usually see those changes.

Diabetic retinopathy affects about 30% of adults with diabetes. It causes blood vessels to leak, which can interfere with vision and eventually lead to near total vision loss. I can’t emphasize enough about the danger of uncontrolled diabetes. Obesity, as well as not being physically active, contributes to this awful disease.

Try to keep your weight down, don’t smoke, stay active/ move more, keep your blood pressure and cholesterol at normal levels, and have your annual blood tests and dilated vision exam. Early detection of diabetes helps protect your vision and your health.

Since 1996, Crystal Clear Optical has been helping people with eyeglasses, contact lenses and eye exams. Please call us at 561-963-0099 if we can be of any help.

China Faces a Marriage Problem

China wants people to say, "I do," but a growing number of Chinese are saying "we won't." A record low 6.83 million Chinese people got married in 2022, down from 7.63 million in 2021, after peaking at 13 million in 2013. China's youth unemployment rate weighs in at 20 percent, far above the 7.6 percent in the U.S. This high rate could encourage people to get married later in life.

The Chinese government has launched campaigns to encourage early marriage, but so far, their calls have failed. The decline in marriages comes as China's fertility rate continues to plummet with a birth rate of just 1.28, compared to 1.62 in the U.S. The needed replacement rate hovers around 2.1 children, and any rate below that could lead to a declining population. Some countries, like the U.S., use immigration to keep their populations steady, but China has not signaled any intention to accept immigrants.

China's population has already started to shrink, falling by 850,000 in 2022 from a year prior. The UN reports that China's population may number 1.313 billion by 2050. Looking further ahead, the Brookings Institute projects that China's population could weigh in at just 800 million by 2100.

Shrinking populations are a concern because fewer people mean fewer consumers. Many companies rely on ever-expanding demand. If revenues and profits fall because there are simply fewer consumers, companies may see their market decline and lay off workers. Parts of Europe, Japan, and South Korea, among others, are set to see their future populations contract.

Submitted by Closet Maven 954-478-8221

Every inch utilized, every item in place, at pricing so low you can afford to do them all… Now imagine it done tomorrow! The key to a great closet is not gadgets. It’s about function.

“If I do my job right, it becomes easier to put items where they go instead of where they don’t,” said Buddy Castaldi, owner of Closet Maven. “This is especially important for everyone from busy professionals to children, because a home in order promotes good habits, a clearer mind, and less stress.”

That’s where instinct comes in, and Buddy has 37 years of it. Closet Maven is different from any other closet company for two major reasons: They charge low, By-The-Foot Pricing, and they offer Same-Day Installation facilitated by a state-of-the-art workshopon-wheels, which they bring to your home. “A contractor who has their entire workshop with them can do a much better job than one trying to retrofit something created offsite. We are a small family business offering a better product at a greater value, and you can have your closet by the end of the day,” said Buddy.

Closet Maven will measure, design, and install all on the same day. They will also empty your closets, remove old shelving, and spackle and prep walls at no extra charge. A Closet Maven closet, home office, garage, pantry or laundry room will add value to your home and home life.

Line Dancing Makes Comeback (again)

Line dancing is a lot of fun, but it can be baffling on your first try. But there are some secrets to the art, and when you understand them, line dancing is much less daunting. First, a line dance lasts from three to five minutes, and you can drop out at any time. Among all the popular line dances, the Electric Slide is the shortest, lasting from two to three minutes and makes a good beginning dance to learn. It is the dance that often opens a line dance party, especially as a warm up. If you are new to line dancing, here are some tips:

•The dance starts when the singing starts. Everything before that is the intro.

•Moves usually change after four counts. When you get to four, you'll change direction or make a new move.

•You can make any move plain or fancy, low movement or high. Instead of doing stomps, for example, do a tap.

•How many times the dancers turn to face a different direction are called walls. A line dance can have one wall or up to four. But the dance will usually end up facing the same way it started. Other popular line dances: Cha-cha slide- You get to make a little cha-cha move. There are some hops, but you can substitute tip toes. Boot Scootin' Boogie- More difficult in that it has a series of hops, including one in which dancers cross their legs. It also has a quick half-beat step. Cotton-Eyed Joe- If you love that old-fashioned fiddle, this one’s for you. It has some turns and toe taps.

Submersible Industry Cruises On

When the ill-fated OceanGate Titan submersible recently suffered a catastrophic failure while en route to the wreck of the Titanic, some wondered if the tragedy may have sunk the submersible industry. But several companies are still making submersibles, both for scientists and tourists.

Companies like Triton Submarines are leveraging cuttingedge -- but proven -- technology to produce highly advanced submersibles that have already explored ocean depths much greater than the wreck of the Titanic for scientific purposes. Its investors include James Cameron, the legendary director of Titanic, Avatar, and Terminator 2, and an experienced deep sea explorer in his own right. Cameron himself successfully piloted a submersible to the bottom of the Challenger Deep -- the deepest place on Earth. Cameron's vessel, the Deepsea Challenger, reached a depth of 35,000 feet. The Titanic lies about 12,500 feet down.

Triton Submarines produces Deepview, a submersible that resembles a transparent acrylic bus and can seat up to 96 people. The large capacity allows it to carry entire classes of students or tour groups on underwater adventures to reefs, for example. The Vinpearl resort on Hon Tre Island in Vietnam now offers submarine tours of reefs and shipwrecks, with tickets starting at under $60.

It remains to be seen whether the OceanGate submersible will take the sparkle off of underwater tourism, but underwater is still the best vantage points to view sea life and wrecks. Adventure tourism, which includes underwater tours, is growing quickly.